Piastri keeps pressure on Norris by taking pole in Qatar

McLaren's Oscar Piastri will start from P1 for Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix after posting the quickest time during Saturday's qualifying session at the Lusail International Circuit.

Piastri, who went almost three months without a pole position, also won the sprint race earlier in the day to cut teammate and championship rival Lando Norris' lead to 22 points in the battle for the drivers' title.

There are two races left in the 2025 season.

Norris can secure his first Formula 1 title by winning Sunday's main event or by outscoring Piastri by at least four points.

Meanwhile, Red Bull's Max Verstappen will have to beat Norris in Qatar to keep his hopes of winning a fifth straight championship alive.

The driver with the most race wins will end up with the title if there is a tie for the points lead. The second tiebreaker is runner-up finishes.

Norris and Piastri have each won seven races this season, while Verstappen has six.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton had another tough qualifying session, as he will start 18th.

Hamilton now has more Q1 eliminations (three) than Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso (two) this season.