DOHA: Oscar Piastri took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix with a superb lap to push McLaren teammate and Formula 1 title rival Lando Norris down to second on the grid for Sunday’s race.
Championship leader Norris leads Piastri by 22 points and defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull by 25.
A victory for Norris on Sunday guarantees a first F1 title.
He needs to finish four points ahead of Piastri and one point ahead of Verstappen, who is chasing a fifth straight F1 crown.
Norris set the fastest time on his first go, with Piastri .035 seconds behind and Verstappen almost half a second back. But Norris botched his second run and Piastri took advantage to beat him by .108 seconds after a faultless lap.
“Good session everyone,” Piastri said. “That was mega.”
Verstappen was ahead of Norris on the first time split but faded in the night-time session and qualified in third.
Mercedes driver George Russell was fourth and his teammate Kimi Antonelli fifth, with Charles Leclerc qualifying 10th on another disappointing day for Ferrari.
Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari woes continued when he was knocked out of Q1 — the first part of qualifying — for the second straight race after qualifying last at the Las Vegas GP.
Piastri gains ground
Earlier Saturday, Piastri won the sprint race from pole.
Piastri’s sprint win gave him eight points with seven going to Russell in second place. Norris took six points for his third-place finish, and Verstappen got five for finishing fourth.
Norris started the sprint from third on the grid and Verstappen from sixth. The Dutchman was let through by his Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda on the first lap but could not get close enough to pressure Norris.
Verstappen complained of bouncing and understeer on his Red Bull on Friday, and the problems persisted.
“The bouncing’s still very bad,” Verstappen said four laps into Saturday’s sprint.
Tsunoda was fifth ahead of Antonelli, with both getting five-second time penalties for going off track limits more than the maximum three times.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso got two points in seventh and Williams driver Carlos Sainz collected one point in eighth.
Hamilton’s slide continued when he placed 17th.
Last race ahead
The F1 season concludes on Dec. 7 in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen has won the last two races in Qatar and four of the last five in Abu Dhabi.
Piastri has not won since the final day of August at the Dutch GP and the Australian has no podiums in the past six F1 races, excluding Saturday’s sprint.
Verstappen’s title chances increased after the disqualification of both McLaren drivers following last Sunday’s Las Vegas GP, which Verstappen won.
Race strategy in Qatar will be harder to impose given that teams have two mandatory pit stops, a measure imposed on safety grounds due to a high risk of tire degradation at the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Lusail International Circuit.
Pirelli tires are restricted to a maximum of 25 laps in the 57-lap race, which features high-speed corners.
Piastri takes pole position for Qatar GP ahead of teammate Norris and Verstappen
https://arab.news/ca2zw
Piastri takes pole position for Qatar GP ahead of teammate Norris and Verstappen
- A victory for Norris on Sunday guarantees a first F1 title
- He needs to finish four points ahead of Piastri and one point ahead of Verstappen
FIA’s United Against Online Abuse campaign welcomes Palestinian student
- Ghada Ashour, 24, who grew up in Gaza, becomes fifth scholar selected for FIA’s flagship scholarship initiative
DUBAI: The FIA’s United Against Online Abuse campaign has welcomed Ghada Ashour, a 24-year-old student from Palestine, to its flagship scholarship program, created to empower the next generation of researchers in the fight against online abuse in sport.
Ashour grew up in Gaza where she had been studying remotely until gaining a place on the UAOA scholarship, which brought her to Dublin City University, Ireland.
Becoming the fifth scholar to join the program, she was selected based on her interests in social media, and passion for advancing insights in this area for the benefit of sportspeople.
Launched in 2023, the program offers talented students and young professionals from diverse backgrounds the chance to engage in research on the impact, prevalence, and prevention of online abuse in sport.
Funded by the FIA Foundation, the UAOA scholars have been selected to undertake research dedicated to positive social change.
Ashour’s thesis, which will be printed in English and Arabic, will focus specifically on the relationship between athlete activism and online abuse.
Athletes increasingly speak out on war, conflict, and social and environmental issues. Although the attention such athletes bring can be positive, research indicates it can lead to significant abuse.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, founder of the UAOA campaign, said: “The FIA is committed to extending opportunities across the world while inspiring and developing the next generation.
“Education lies at the core of this mission, and I am pleased to welcome Ghada as the latest student in the UAOA Scholarship Programme.
“Her experience and research will help broaden the international perspective on this critical issue. This pioneering research program will help ensure we safeguard the future of sport for generations to come.”
Ashour said she was “truly grateful” to the FIA leader: “It is a dream come true to study the subject I am passionate about at a leading institution in this field.
“I am so excited to advance the field of research in online abuse in sport and to contribute to this prevalent topic which is impacting so many people’s lives on a daily basis.”
The UAOA’s 2025 Barometer Report found that 75 percent of sports federations report continued threats against competitors and their families, and that 90 percent believe abuse could force athletes to leave their sport.
Dublin City University is a leading academic institution in the study of online abuse.
Each scholar is fully funded and mentored by leading experts in the field. They are able to attend UAOA events, where they can share their findings with a global audience of policymakers, sports federations, and digital platforms.
The inaugural cohort of four UAOA scholars included participants from Italy, South Africa, the UK, and Mexico.
