McLaren's Piastri claims pole for Qatar sprint race, teammate Norris in third

Piastri after qualifying in pole position for the sprint
Piastri after qualifying in pole position for the sprintREUTERS / Altaf Qadri

Oscar Piastri put McLaren on pole position for the Qatar sprint race on Friday with teammate and Formula 1 championship leader Lando Norris qualifying third.

Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen, the other title contender, will start Saturday's race in sixth position behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda in fifth.

"Nice to be back. Thanks everybody," said Australian Piastri over the team radio.

Norris leads Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points with a total of 58 still to be won and eight available to the sprint winner.

George Russell starts second for Mercedes and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso qualified fourth.

More to follow...