Lando Norris emerged as the man to beat in a closely-fought battle for pole position in Sprint Qualifying in Qatar, narrowly clinching the fastest lap of the session ahead of George Russell and Oscar Piastri.
The Briton clocked a time of 1m 21.012s, over two seconds quicker than Max Verstappen’s pole lap from last season, while the Mercedes slotted in just 0.063s behind, and the second McLaren another tenth adrift of Norris’s effort.
READ MORE: Norris storms to impressive Sprint Qualifying pole in Qatar ahead of Russell and Piastri
The Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were not expecting this high-speed track to suit their car, but they claimed P4 and P5 respectively ahead of the recently crowned four-time world champion Verstappen.
While Russell was able to fight for the front row, his team mate Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for seventh ahead of the high-flying trio of Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg.
Click go on the video player above to catch the action from Sprint Qualifying.
Next Up
Related Articles
UnlockedWhy Alonso seems as hungry as ever 20 years on from his last title
Russell struggling with 'difficult' operating window – Wolff
Palmowski crowned 2026 champion as Larsen takes maiden victory
The 2026 Qualifying and race head-to-heads so far
Antonelli hoping to win title ‘very soon’ after ‘perfect’ US GP
Norris admits McLaren are 'just not quick enough'