Formula 1 in Qatar
Piastri wins dramatic qualification – World Cup hopes are alive
Updated 11/29/2025 – 8:14 p.mReading time: 1 min.
In an exciting qualifying, the decision is only made on the last lap. In the end, Oscar Piastri comes out on top.
Oscar Piastri secured pole position in a dramatic qualifying session at the Qatar Grand Prix and put another exclamation mark in the Formula 1 title fight. The Australian McLaren driver took the lead in the last attempt with a track record and will start on Sunday (5 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online) ahead of World Championship leader Lando Norris (England/McLaren) and defending champion Max Verstappen (Netherlands/Red Bull).
If Norris wins the race, he is guaranteed the title. Overtaking is difficult on the fast track in Lusail near Doha, so the starting position is extremely important.
Norris currently leads the World Cup by 22 points over Piastri and 25 over Verstappen. He came third in the sprint on Saturday afternoon. Piastri took the victory there, fourth place went to Verstappen.
For Lewis Hamilton, qualifying became the next debacle. The record world champion only finished 18th in the Ferrari, and again it was over after the first part of qualifying. Things went similarly badly for him in the sprint, where the Brit finished 17th, clearly outside the points.
Nico Hülkenberg (Emmerich/Sauber) took a good eleventh place on the grid, Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari came tenth.