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Follow F1 updates at the Lusail International Circuit with the 2025 championship in touching distance for British driver Norris
Kieran JacksonFormula 1 CorrespondentSunday 30 November 2025 16:08 GMTComments
Close'I'm pretty used to it': Lando Norris ahead of Qatar GP with 2025 F1 title at stake
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Lando Norris failed to complete his last lap in qualifying for Sunday’s crucial Qatar Grand Prix to allow F1 championship rival Oscar Piastri to take pole position.
Norris, who will start alongside his McLaren team-mate for the penultimate round of the campaign in Doha, held a slender advantage heading into the decisive concluding laps. But the British driver made a mistake when he ran wide at the second corner, and was forced to abort, leaving Piastri the chance to usurp him at the top of the order.
Piastri, a winner of the earlier sprint race here, which took him to within 22 points of Norris’ lead with 50 points still to play for, did not waste his opportunity, clinching pole by 0.108 seconds. Max Verstappen starts third to ensure he remains in the title hunt.
Norris will be crowned world champion on Sunday if he outscores Piastri by four points and Verstappen by one.
Follow live coverage of the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent
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F1 QATAR GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- TOP-3: Piastri, Verstappen, Norris (Lap 3/57)
- OVERTAKE! Verstappen cruises past Norris at the start
- Norris will win the title if he wins the grand prix in Qatar
- PREVIEW: How Max Verstappen clawed back 104-point deficit in F1 title race over just seven races
Qatar GP start
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 16:08Piastri leads comfortably (Lap 3/57)
Piastri has a 1.6-second gap on Verstappen, who has a 1.5-second lead on Norris.
Kimi Antonelli, however, has DRS on Norris...
Top-10: Piastri, Verstappen, Norris, Antonelli, Sainz, Alonso, Russell, Hadjar, Gasly, Hulkenberg
Leclerc has dropped to 11th - but Hamilton is up three places to 14th!
Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 16:06Max Verstappen up to second!
A quick lights out and Piastri gets away well - while Lando Norris has a bit of wheelspin!
Max Verstappen moves on Norris around the outside at turn 1 and gets it done! Crucial for the Dutchman!
Norris down to third!
George Russell is down from fourth to seventh!
Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 16:05Formation lap
Oscar Piastri leads the pack around for the formation lap.
The top-10 are all on new medium tyres. A reminder that no set of tyres can exceed 25 laps and as it’s a 57-lap race, it will be a minimum two-stop race.
Lewis Hamilton, down in P17, is on soft tyres.
Here we go then - critical moment in the title race!
Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 16:01A reminder of the starting grid:
1. Oscar Piastri - McLaren
2. Lando Norris - McLaren
3. Max Verstappen - Red Bull
4. George Russell - Mercedes
5. Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
6. Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
7. Carlos Sainz - Williams
8. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
9. Pierre Gasly - Alpine
10. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
11. Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber
12. Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
13. Ollie Bearman - Haas
14. Alex Albon - Williams
15. Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
16. Esteban Ocon - Haas
17. Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
18. Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
19. Gabriel Bortoleto - Sauber*
Pit lane. Franco Colapinto - Alpine**
*Bortoleto has a five-place grid penalty after crashing into Lance Stroll at the last race in Las Vegas
**Colapinto starts in the pit-lane after making changes to his car after qualifying
Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 15:59Qatar Grand Prix imminent
Is this the day then for Lando Norris?
He starts second on the grid alongside pole-sitter Oscar Piastri, 22 points off him in the championship.
It’s simple for Lando: if he wins the race, he wins the title.
Max Verstappen starts in third - will he make a move at turn 1? We’ll find out in five minutes!
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 15:55Max Verstappen, who starts P3:
“All good. No nerves, just want to have a good time out there. Hopefully we can have a good one - we’ll do our best.”
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 15:51Novak Djokovic on the grid in Qatar:
“Very good, excited.
On playing tennis with Zak Brown: “He’s been good, terrific. Very relaxed but today he’s laser-focused, big weekend for Max, McLaren and everyone in Formula One. Trying to soak away.
On the sport: “The first thing that strikes me is how it’s organised, sport and entertainment combined.”
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 15:48Time for the Qatar national anthem!
A busy grid as we get going with the host national anthem!
Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 15:46Kimi Antonelli's engineer Peter Bonnington:
“Our European stint wasn’t brilliant, but we’ve turned a corner since then, since Baku he’s really come good and grown this part of the season.
“It throws a spanner in the works, we’ll see how it works, it’s a graining race, we’ll see who manages it the best.”
(Getty Images)Kieran Jackson30 November 2025 15:44Newer1 / 8OlderMore about
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