Lando Norris failed to complete his last lap in qualifying for Sunday’s crucial Qatar Grand Prix to allow F1 championship rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position.
Norris, who will start alongside his McLaren team-mate for the penultimate round of the campaign in Doha, held a slender advantage heading into the decisive concluding laps. But the British driver made a mistake when he ran wide at the second corner, and was forced to abort, leaving Piastri the chance to usurp him at the top of the order.
FOLLOW LIVE: F1 Qatar GP latest updates
Piastri, a winner of the earlier sprint race here, which took him to within 22 points of Norris’ lead with 50 points still to play for, did not waste his opportunity, clinching pole by 0.108 seconds. Max Verstappen starts third to ensure he remains in the title hunt.
Norris will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he outscores Piastri by four points and Verstappen by one.
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What is the starting grid?
1. Oscar Piastri - McLaren
2. Lando Norris - McLaren
3. Max Verstappen - Red Bull
4. George Russell - Mercedes
5. Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
6. Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
7. Carlos Sainz - Williams
8. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
9. Pierre Gasly - Alpine
10. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
11. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber
12. Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
13. Ollie Bearman - Haas
14. Alex Albon - Williams
15. Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
16. Esteban Ocon - Haas
17. Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
18. Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
19. Gabriel Bortoleto - Sauber*
Pit lane. Franco Colapinto - Alpine**
*Bortoleto has a five-place grid penalty after crashing into Lance Stroll at the last race in Las Vegas
**Colapinto starts in the pit-lane after making changes to his car after qualifying
When is the Qatar Grand Prix?
All times GMT
Saturday 29 November
Sunday 30 November
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Qatar Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 2:30pm (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the Qatar Grand Prix then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.
F1 driver standings (before Qatar sprint)
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 390 points
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 366 points
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 366 points
4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 294 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 226 points
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 152 points
7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 137 points
8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 73 points
9. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 51 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 49 points
11. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 48 points
12. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 41 points
13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 40 points
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 36 points
15. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 32 points
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 32 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 28 points
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 22 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 19 points
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points
F1 constructor standings (before Qatar sprint)
1. McLaren - 756 points (champions)
2. Mercedes - 431 points
3. Red Bull - 391 points
4. Ferrari - 378 points
5. Williams - 121 points
6. Racing Bulls - 90 points
7. Haas - 73 points
8. Aston Martin - 72 points
9. Sauber - 68 points
10. Alpine - 22 points
2025 F1 CALENDAR IN FULL:
ROUND 23 - QATAR (sprint weekend)
Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 28-30 November
ROUND 24 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 5-7 December