On a track that has always suited him, Oscar Piastri finally rediscovered the speed he had been missing for several races, and he will start from pole position in the Sprint. In contrast, Max Verstappen endured a complicated Friday and could do no better than sixth. Despite an error and a third-place result, championship leader Lando Norris can consider the situation as a glass half full.
“Nice to be back.” Oscar Piastri has returned. After two months of absence from the front and with little explanation for his dip in form, Oscar rediscovered himself on the familiar curves of the Lusail circuit — the track where he took his first Formula 1 victory in a Sprint race. The result may not change the balance of the championship just yet, but it is an important sign for a driver who had taken several psychological blows in recent events.
Once the solitary leader of the standings, Piastri had not only fallen behind his teammate Lando Norris but also behind rivals he had easily beaten earlier in the season. On the day of his resurgence, Oscar delivered his favourite script: third in Q1, second in Q2, and a decisive blow in Q3 with a margin of 32 thousandths over an excellent George Russell.
The flag planted today by Piastri in Lusail may remain an isolated highlight or become a turning point. The rest of the weekend, expected to be intense, will determine that. The Sprint Qualifying session showcased a furious Verstappen, who finished sixth in a session filled with frustrated radio messages directed at his race engineer, Giampiero Lambiase.
Max found himself behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda — and with all respect for the Japanese driver, that alone confirmed that something had not gone according to plan. Verstappen’s car appeared visibly low as early as Q1, and during his first run in Q3 he ran wide into the runoff area, putting the floor of the car to the test. “Tomorrow I will have to suffer,” Max said bluntly. “Then hopefully we can sort things out before qualifying.”
Max Verstappen’s sixth place turned Norris’s third into a positive result. Lando appeared to have everything under control to take pole, but he made an error — or perhaps showed a touch of overconfidence — with his timing as he exited the pit lane in Q3. He ended up starting his lap last, which is often advantageous, but to avoid taking the chequered flag too soon he launched his final attempt extremely close to Alexander Albon’s Williams.
It was too close to exploit the car’s aerodynamics properly, and after losing time in the middle sector he ran wide at the final corner. “No problem,” Lando commented — and he was absolutely right. Considering his advantage in the championship standings and the strong opportunity to secure a sizeable points haul in the Sprint, the setback is minimal.
There was also “no problem” for Russell. The 32 thousandths that cost him pole left him with no regrets. George’s performance — and that of Mercedes — is increasingly consistent across every track type, confirming a steady rise that has turned the W16 into a podium contender in all conditions. A similar assessment applies to Williams: their presence in Q3 is no longer an anomaly. And for every team on the rise, someone else must give way. Between the two Williams cars sits a Ferrari — Charles Leclerc’s — in ninth place.
“Our qualifying could have gone better,” Charles Leclerc said. “I think today we had the potential to be in the top five. Unfortunately, before my final attempt, the driver ahead slowed down entering Turn 15, so I couldn’t create enough of a gap. I started the lap too close to him and was consequently disturbed.” The third row would have been a stretch. Overall, the start of Ferrari’s Losail weekend resembles Las Vegas — where Leclerc also qualified ninth — part of a difficult march toward the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.
The second SF-25 ended even further back, at the bottom of the grid. There is a world of difference between the approach taken by Lewis Hamilton and that of Fernando Alonso. Two veterans, two former world champions, two drivers over 40. Alonso still bites: whenever he sees even a small opening to make a decisive move, he takes it, as confirmed by his brilliant fourth place today in Lusail. He may have lost a few tenths over the years, but in terms of competitive hunger, Alonso remains as voracious as a rookie — a hunger that Hamilton increasingly seems to lack.
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