Piastri Secures Pole Position at 2024 Qatar Grand Prix in McLaren 1-2
Lusail, qatar – Oscar Piastri of McLaren claimed pole position for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, narrowly edging out teammate Lando Norris in a thrilling qualifying session. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start third, completing the top three.
Piastri set a blistering lap time of 1:19.387, with Norris just 0.108 seconds behind. The result marks a significant achievement for McLaren,securing a front-row lockout and demonstrating the team’s growing competitiveness. verstappen, the championship leader, qualified third with a time of 1:19.651, followed closely by the Mercedes pairing of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. This qualifying result is especially noteworthy as it’s the first race weekend with Antonelli in the Mercedes lineup.
The session was briefly interrupted by red flags in Q3 after Carlos Sainz Jr. left the garage with plastic wrapped around his rear left tire,which subsequently came loose and ended up on the track. Sainz will be investigated for an unsafe release. Fernando Alonso qualified eighth for Aston Martin, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Q2 saw Norris initially have his fastest time deleted due to a track limits infringement, but he ultimately recovered to secure second place. Drivers eliminated at the end of Q2 included Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Ollie Bearman (Haas), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), and Alex Albon (Williams).
In Q1, Yuki tsunoda initially appeared to have made it through to Q2, but was ultimately edged out by Gabriel Bortoleto, though Tsunoda will start 15th due to Bortoleto receiving a five-place grid penalty for a collision at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon (Haas), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) were also eliminated in the opening segment.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:19.387
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:19.495
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:19.651
4 George russell Mercedes 1:19.662
5 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:19.846
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:20.114
7 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:20.287
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:20.418
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:20.477
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:20.561
11 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:20.353
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:20.433
13 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:20.438
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:20.534
15 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:20.629
16 Yuki Tsunoda Red bull/Honda RBPT 1:20.761
17 Esteban Ocon haas/Ferrari 1:20.864
18 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:20.907
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:21.058
20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:21.137
