Lando Norris Takes Pole in Qatar, Beating Russell by 0.063s

Lando Norris secured pole position for the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix, edging Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.063 seconds. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took third while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc placed fourth and fifth, respectively with Sainz 0.027 seconds faster than Leclerc. Max Verstappen, the newly crowned world champion, only managed sixth followed by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in seventh.

Norris reflected on his performance, saying: “It’s tough because it’s so quick around here but it was a great qualifying, especially after Vegas last weekend.” Despite Norris’s hopes of catching Verstappen for the title being dashed in Las Vegas, McLaren still leads Ferrari by 25 points in the constructors’ championship with a chance to seal the title if they secure a one-two finish in Saturday’s sprint race.

Russell fresh off his dominant victory in Las Vegas expressed confidence in his performance, saying the car felt great despite a minor issue with the engine after going flat through a high-speed section. Ferrari struggled with McLaren’s pace with Sainz 0.269 seconds behind Lando Norris and Leclerc 0.296 seconds slower. Leclerc felt frustrated, noting that P4 and P5 weren’t ideal considering the significance of the weekend.

Verstappen admitted he lacked pace, saying he struggled with the car’s balance and couldn’t attack corners effectively. Hamilton continuing his difficult qualifying run, finished 0.399 seconds slower than Russell and voiced his disappointment with another underwhelming session. Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg and Liam Lawson completed the top 10. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez failed to make it out of Q1 and will start 16th, citing track position issues with Leclerc.