Oscar Piastri takes first F1 Grand Prix pole in China
The Australian took his first ever pole position for a Formula One Grand Prix in Shanghai.
SHANGHAI—Oscar Piastri ended his drought on Saturday with pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Piastri bested teammate Lando Norris and Mercedes rival George Russell with a dominant lap in the opening stages of Q3 that could not be beaten despite improving lap times for other drivers.
Russell was among the drivers who ran much faster on their final attempt, securing a spot on the second row, but front runners Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton, who won Saturday's sprint race from pole, couldn't challenge the Australian.
"In Q3, I just found a lot of pace. Q1 and Q2 I was genuinely struggling," said Piastri.
"The car just came alive in Q3, and I think I came alive in Q3. I’m happy with what I did at the end, it was still… the laps were a little bit scruffy. I’m just pumped to be on pole, so [I’m] very happy."
Pierre Gasly, Ollie Bearman, Jack Doohan, and Gabriel Bortoleto joined Red Bull's Liam Lawson in being eliminated in Q1, with Lawson's struggles to adapt to the Red Bull machinery continuing into the second race of the weekend.
It was Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz out in Q2, with Sainz's Williams teammate Alex Albon celebrating after making it through to the final session of qualifying as the British team continues its resurgence.
As it was on Friday for sprint qualifying, Australian grand prix winner Lando Norris was the fastest in the first two sessions but unable to convert his pace to pole position in the top ten shootout, with Verstappen initially on top before Norris, and then Piastri topped the timesheets.
The Australian was a cut above the rest, despite being just nine-hundredths of a second clear of his teammate, with Norris abandoning his final lap and Hamilton unable to best his initial time.
That left Russell to secure second with a big improvement on his second attempt, securing a front row start alongside Piastri.
Oscar Piastri will take pole for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix at 6.00pm AEDT on Sunday.
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