








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. 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.









