In a thrilling display of speed and skill, Oscar Piastri from McLaren achieved his first-ever pole position in Formula 1 during the qualifying session for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. The 23-year-old Australian outpaced Mercedes’ George Russell, showcasing his talent with two impressive laps that earned him the top spot on the grid.
Piastri, who also secured second place in Saturday morning’s Sprint race, expressed his excitement, stating he is “pretty pumped” for the upcoming race. The young driver highlighted that the main challenge will be managing tire wear over the course of the 56-lap race. Starting from pole position, Piastri aims to capitalize on his strong qualifying performance.
Reflecting on his qualifying session, Piastri noted, “My first lap was honestly better than my second lap, but just at the end of the (back) straight I lost a bit of time and didn’t do the best hairpin.” He added, “On the second lap, I was about two-tenths down on myself, so I just thought, ‘why not send it into the hairpin?’ and I gained those back, finding a little more speed in the last corner.” His decision to push during the final lap proved to be a game changer.
Teammate Lando Norris, who won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, will start the race in third, two positions behind Piastri. Norris led the qualifying segments but admitted to having a “terrible job” in the session, having made mistakes that forced him to pit on his final lap. “Oscar’s shown great pace. I definitely haven’t,” he acknowledged, pointing out his struggle with front tire graining throughout the weekend.
Norris, 25, emphasized the need for analysis, stating, “I have a long night ahead of me to analyze data and see where I can improve for tomorrow.”
George Russell, starting from the front row for the 15th time, expressed satisfaction at splitting the McLarens. He had previously indicated a significant pace deficit but managed to find an impressive four-tenths of a second on his final lap, calling the qualifying session one of the hardest of his career. “To be on the front row is a really great place to start,” Russell commented.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who won the Sprint race, will line up in fifth position, followed closely by teammate Charles Leclerc. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, a key title contender, will start from fourth.
In a noteworthy performance, F1 rookie Isack Hadjar from the Red Bull junior team will start seventh, two places ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Hadjar had previously crashed out of his debut race in Australia but has shown resilience. Another rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, secured eighth for Mercedes, while Williams’ Alex Albon rounded out the top ten. Carlos Sainz Jr. will start from 15th position.
Piastri’s pole position marks a significant milestone, as it is the first for an Australian driver since Daniel Ricciardo achieved the feat for Red Bull at the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix. “It’s nice to do it for myself, but it is also nice to do it for Australia as well,” he remarked.
Fans can look forward to an exciting race on Sunday, with the Chinese Grand Prix starting at 3 p.m. local time (0700 GMT). Piastri’s performance has set the stage for a thrilling contest as he aims to convert his pole position into a victory.
