McLaren are on Cloud 9 after the Qatar GP Sprint Shootout. They have managed to lock out the front row for the Qatar Sprint Race today. Amazingly, they managed to beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull on pure pace today. And surprisingly, it isn’t Lando Norris on pole. The McLaren rookie, Oscar Piastri managed to get pole ahead of Lando Norris.
No Mistakes
So far, the Qatar GP weekend has not just been about being the quickest. Like Austria, track limits have played a key part. Oscar Piastri just did not make any mistakes today. He was near the top in SQ1, and SQ2. In SQ3, after the first run, he was in 2nd place behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. He then delivered on his final lap to take the top spot.
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Mistakes for Max Verstappen and Lando Norris
Max Verstappen had his first laptime deleted due to track limits. This put pressure on him to deliver pole for the Qatar Sprint Race. Having taken pole for the Qatar GP already, he set on his final run. However, he made a mistake again which cost him a few tenths and potentially pole position.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris was dejected after the Qatar GP Qualifying yesterday. Today, he scored a much better result, but P2 is no solace when your teammate starts P1. The McLaren man was up on his teammate on his final run. But he understeered off the track at the final corner. As a result, he will start the Qatar Sprint in 2nd place.
What did they say?
After the Qatar Sprint Shootout, Naomi Schiff interviewed Oscar Piastri. He said, “I will give 5 minutes to the FIA to make sure I am actually on pole”. This was a reference to his debacle after the Qatar GP qualifying yesterday.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris was as dejected today as he was after the qualifying session for the Qatar GP yesterday. He said, “I’m not happy as I’m not doing a good job. I should’ve been on pole yesterday, should’ve been on pole today. But the team has done a good job, I’m just not delivering.”
Also Read: Qatar GP Qualifying Live: Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of the Two Mercedes
Will the McLaren drivers be able to keep Max Verstappen at bay during the Qatar Sprint? Join us as we cover it live.
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