In the penultimate race of the 2025 F1 season, Oscar Piastri will start on pole position in Qatar. It’s the Aussie’s first time starting from the front since Zandvoort back in August. His McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, had to settle for second on the grid. The #4 was unable to improve on time after not making it back around for another lap. The final championship contender, Max Verstappen, qualified on the second row, overcoming his struggles from the previous sessions. Find out how the other drivers performed with our coverage of the F1 qualifying results below.
Qualifying Begins with Set-Up Adjustments Throughout
Before the session began, the Oracle Red Bull Racing team tweaked the rear wing to address steering issues plaguing Verstappen. The hope was that this would make him competitive against the papaya cars. It wasn’t the only garage that was busy making adjustments down the pit lane before Q1.
Both the Scuderia Ferrari vehicles had changed their set-ups dramatically to give them a better chance, particularly for Lewis Hamilton. As well as tweaking what they could, they also had to consider tyres. The soft C3 compound was the predicted ideal choice for the session. But the medium C2 is expected to be the best race tyre.
Before the session got underway, there was a minor incident as the cars queued up. Alex Albon cut in front of Esteban Ocon. The FIA stewards investigated the failure to follow race directions after the session. Plenty of drivers were out on used soft tyres, but the McLaren and Red Bull cars took their time coming out onto the track.
Albon became the first victim of track limits for the evening, having his time deleted while his teammate, Carlos Sainz, banked the first time of 1:22.354. But he tumbled down the order as Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and Isack Hadjar all had their time on top. In the end, it was Russell who led the charge into Q2, with Yuki Tsunoda, Ocon, Hamilton, Lance Stroll, and Franco Colapinto eliminated.
Double Knock-Out for Kick Sauber in Q2
With a slight delay to clear gravel on the track, the green lights were on to begin Q2 and another fifteen minutes of action. Verstappen was first to take a flying lap around the circuit on a new set of soft tyres. All sectors were purple as he took the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:20.142. But the McLaren drivers were hot on his heels, with Piastri making it into the 1:19s. Norris had his time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 10, putting the Brit under pressure to get out of the elimination zone.
Oliver Bearman went off track, leaving a cloud of dust behind him for Russell to pick up. The #63 was on the radio to his team, requesting a clear visor for Q3. Meanwhile, Norris took another shot at a time attack on fresh soft tyres. It started slow, but went purple in Sector 2, giving him just enough to get into the top two. That pushed Kimi Antonelli down and at risk of being knocked out, but the #11 was able to put in one more lap to climb back out.
Gabriel Bortoleto had managed to get into the Q2 session by the skin of his knees, or rubber. However, with a five-place grid penalty from the Las Vegas race, he would still be assigned to second-last on the grid after being eliminated. Also bowing out before the final F1 qualifying session of the day were his Kick Sauber teammate Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Bearman, and Albon.
Halted Q3 Brings Dramatic Twist to Top Ten Shootout
All three championship challengers were present in the final qualifying round of the session, as well as both Mercedes–AMG PETRONAS drivers, Charles Leclerc, Alonso, Sainz, Hadjar, and Pierre Gasly. The front-runners were out on fresh C3 tyres, but #16 Ferrari took the gamble on a used set, as did Hadjar, Antonelli, Alonso, Gasly, and Sainz. However, the #55 Atlassian Williams Racing driver took some extra weight out onto the track with him, with some plastic still wrapped around his tyre. FIA stewards quickly noted him for being released in an unsafe condition.
Leclerc had a massive spin after fighting with the steering of his car all session. With his time deleted, it got much worse for the #16 as Q3 was red-flagged briefly to remove the plastic from Sainz’s car and the gravel that had been left on the track.
The session resumed with a little more than five minutes to go, but the Williams team were still taping up Sainz’s car due to damage sustained to the sidepod. However, it seemed everyone else chose to play the waiting game for an extra minute before making one final run. Norris was on provisional pole but butchered his lap, running wide at Turn 2. For the second night in a row, he was unable to set another lap and left his teammate to pole position once again.
What to Know Before Lights Out
After the crucial points gained in the earlier Sprint Race, Piastri has made the challenge for his teammate to be crowned champion a little tighter. If Norris wins the race, he will secure the title no matter where Piastri or Verstappen finish. However, things get a little more complicated after that. If the #4 places ninth or lower, the fight will go to the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi. There is a lot at stake. Will we see the 2025 Formula 1 World Champion crowned this weekend?