Oscar Piastri had a strong Friday at the Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, securing pole position for Saturday’s Sprint race, his first in any format since the Dutch Grand Prix in August. The Australian, who had faced a period of inconsistent performance, managed to outpace George Russell by 0.032s, with Lando Norris finishing third, nearly two-tenths slower.
Despite a significant moment of oversteer in turn 4 during his final flying lap, Piastri set a time of 1:20.055 and secured the pole, showing that his good form is back, especially after a string of below-expected results that cost him the championship lead.
“It was a good day, which is a nice change, and it was a day where things clicked from the start,” Piastri said. “The Sprint qualifying was very good, I had a tough moment in my last flying lap, but it was enough in the end. The car is very good this weekend, so I’m quite happy,” he added.
Piastri also mentioned that he believes if he had managed a cleaner lap, he could have set a time of 1:19, but was satisfied with the result: “Obviously, there are things to improve, but it’s good to be able to say that when you’re starting from pole,” he added.
Although the pole is only for the Sprint race, which is worth few points, Piastri emphasized that he will make the most of any opportunity that arises: “Sprint weekends are always tough, because you never know if you’re really on top until you get on track, but the car was really good all day,” he completed.
The Australian also made a point to highlight the work of his team, which made good adjustments to the car between free practice and Sprint qualifying and managed to maintain a good pace throughout the day.
