Oscar Piastri was the fastest in the sprint qualifying before the 2025 Qatar GP. The Australian improved the track record by nearly half a second, ahead of Russell and Norris. A weaker result in the qualifying was recorded by Verstappen, who messed up his first lap in SQ3.
Read more A handful of statistics after the 2025 Qatar GP
Friday’s sprint qualifying was held in very stable weather conditions, the track temperature was 25-26 degrees Celsius, meaning there was no heat that was feared. The qualifying proceeded without any interruptions, everyone drove efficiently.
Results of the sprint qualifying before the 2025 Qatar GP
| Pos. | Driver | Team | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 |
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:21.286 | 1:21.005 | 1:20.055 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:21.432 | 1:21.136 | 1:20.087 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:21.398 | 1:20.956 | 1:20.285 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:21.276 | 1:21.272 | 1:20.450 |
| 5 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:21.458 | 1:21.152 | 1:20.519 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:21.172 | 1:21.036 | 1:20.528 |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:21.555 | 1:21.376 | 1:20.532 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:21.438 | 1:21.172 | 1:20.542 |
| 9 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:21.636 | 1:21.190 | 1:20.622 |
| 10 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:21.721 | 1:21.212 | 1:20.788 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:21.399 | 1:21.433 | |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:21.526 | 1:21.494 | |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:21.623 | 1:21.567 | |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:21.327 | 1:21.631 | |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:21.773 | 1:21.666 | |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:21.807 | ||
| 17 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:21.851 | ||
| 18 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:22.043 | ||
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:22.112 | ||
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:22.364 |
Discussion of the sprint qualifying before the 2025 Qatar GP
These were very interesting qualifications because tire wear was low, so most drivers went out for the entire segment and performed several timed laps in it. Overall, tire wear this weekend in Qatar after two Friday sessions looks low, so the restrictions introduced by Pirelli to a maximum of 25 laps on one set of tires look strange, but we will return to this before the race.
The competition for Pole Position was decided at the very end of the qualifying. After the first runs in SQ3, Piastri led slightly ahead of Norris, and Russell was third. Drivers waited until the last moment to start their second timed laps. Russell was the first to finish it, significantly improving and moving into first place. A moment later, Piastri beat him slightly, by 0.032 seconds. Norris had a weaker final lap because he started it in traffic and went wide onto the gravel while behind Albon, so even before the start of the timed attempt, he knew he wouldn’t improve. Looking at the sector times, he had the potential to fight for PP. McLaren drivers were the favorites for qualifying, and Russell has had excellent qualifying results in Qatar since 2023, so such a top three is not a surprise.
It’s more interesting in the further positions. Fourth place was taken by Fernando Alonso, who regularly records good performances in Qatar; in 2025 he also positively surprised, his second timed lap in SQ3 was great. The biggest surprise is the fifth position of Yuki Tsunoda, who for the first time beat Max Verstappen in any qualifying since they have been teammates. Tsunoda performed well throughout the qualifying and finally got a decent result. Verstappen was only sixth because he messed up his first lap in SQ3, went wide onto the gravel and probably damaged the floor. He made a second attempt at the end, but his pace was not sensational; he had a minimal advantage over the drivers in the next two positions. Before the sprint, any defects can be repaired for him.
Both Williams drivers also advanced to SQ3 – which is a significant success, as well as Antonelli and Leclerc. Antonelli and Sainz had good laps; they were very close to taking fifth place. Leclerc and Albon had good first runs but did not improve their pace on the second ones, which is why they are at the end of the TOP 10.
Read more Qualifying analysis ahead of the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP
Among the remaining performances, it’s worth mentioning a few. Nico Hulkenberg was on his way to advancing to SQ3 but made a mistake on his lap. Therefore, he lost to Bortoleto. Isack Hadjar had a time deleted in SQ2, which would have given him an advancement higher, due to breaking track limits. Lewis Hamilton took only 18th place after a poor performance.
Summary and predictions for the sprint
In the sprint, the most should happen at the start. Later, we should expect that drivers will push hard and there will be little overtaking. Drivers should run on medium tires; in my opinion, softs will not last such a long distance without a drop in pace. At the front, Piastri must win the start, then he will win comfortably. We’ll see if Russell threatens him or if Norris attacks from the third spot. In my opinion, Verstappen will overtake Tsunoda (he will be let through), and Alonso should not resist him. It will be worse for the Dutchman if he loses a position at the start, because he might get stuck behind Antonelli or Sainz.
P.S. Pay attention to the tires the drivers will use in the sprint, as this will tell us a lot about the race strategy. This weekend, you can do 25 laps on one set of tires; the sprint is 19 laps long. Most of the field in SQ2 did 5-6 laps, so they can run the sprint on that set. If drivers plan to use medium tires twice in the race, they will want to keep two new sets for themselves (they get four for the weekend) and run the sprint on one already slightly used from qualifying. If someone from the TOP 15 runs the sprint on new mediums, it means they have a different plan for the race.
The comparison of internal duels in sprint qualifying and the sprints themselves can be checked at this link. It also contains a table of points scored this year only in sprints.
Read more Piastri won the processional sprint before the 2025 Qatar GP
