Pole for Oscar Piastri. The 2025 F1 season saw its second qualifying session with another McLaren driver at the top, but certainly not the one expected. Lando Norris was unable to achieve a time that would see him promoted to the front row alongside his team-mate and will have to start from third place tomorrow. George Russell, who nobody expected with his Mercedes, stopped the clock ahead of Norris and just 82 thousandths of a second behind Piastri‘s best time. Alonso and Sainz, meanwhile, missed out on Q3.
Max Verstappen, in the midst of the debate over whether the RB is a car made in his image and likeness and unmanageable for his pit crew, once again put the Red Bull beyond what seems to be in terms of net performance. If that is what can be measured in F1. Fourth position, just 24 thousandths of a second behind his namesake this year, Lando Norris, with whom there will be a long dance on the track all the way to Yas Marina.
Lewis Hamilton, after dominating the sprint race on Saturday, was unable to repeat the same performance in qualifying and will start fifth, ahead of the other Ferrari. Number one? Number two? Charles Leclerc’s. Behind him, another of the day’s great protagonists: Isack Hadjar. He achieved an unexpected seventh position for Racing Bulls, less than a tenth of a second behind the Monegasque.
Drama for Alonso and Sainz
Once again, Alonso and Sainz were the negative note. They both suffered badly with their cars and were far from achieving a place in Q3. Alonso, with the AMR25, could only be 13th, with a nervous, unstable car that seemed very difficult to drive. Of course, he was ahead of his teammate Lance Stroll, who was fourteenth. “Crazy outlap,” he could be heard saying over the radio. The traffic probably prevented him from doing a clean lap. All that remains is to put the little card in the house, pray that 2025 will pass as quickly as possible, and, as far as possible, enjoy another year of the Asturian’s talent in abundance. Newey, save us.
For his part, Carlos Sainz also failed to find the right pace with his Williams, finishing in a discreet fifteenth position, notably behind his teammate Albon, who did make it through to Q3. The difficulties of the Madrid driver were evident in the qualifying sessions, where traffic and tire management prevented him from setting competitive times that would have allowed him to advance to Q3. A lot of setup changes after the Sprint, in an attempt to alleviate the graining evident for the race, left him underperforming in Q2.
Ferrari stays far from pole position
In the decisive Q3, the fight for pole was marked by the close battle between McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull, which was decided in the final moments in favor of Oscar Piastri. Disappointment came for Hamilton, who was hoping to repeat his excellent Sprint performance and was relegated to fifth place, leaving Mercedes with a great feeling after the unexpected performance shown by Russell.
Sunday’s race promises intense emotions, especially with Alonso and Sainz having to come from behind on a circuit that traditionally does not facilitate overtaking. McLaren, on the other hand, will defend Piastri’s pole position against fierce competition led by Russell, Norris and Verstappen.