Oscar Piastri boosts F1 title hopes with pole for Qatar Grand Prix sprint race

• Norris third in Lusail, with Russell second on grid

• Verstappen furious with car after qualifying sixth

Oscar Piastri took pole position for the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix. The McLaren driver beat the Mercedes of George Russell into second and, with Lando Norris in third, it was the result the Australian required for his world championship ambitions and allows a chance to narrow the gap to the leader Norris. The other title contender, Max Verstappen, was furious with his Red Bull’s erratic performance and will start in sixth.

On the first hot runs in Q3 Piastri set the pace with a 1min 20.241sec lap, four-hundredths quicker than ­Norris. However Verstappen was complaining his car was suffering with bouncing through the corners, lacking the stability in the fast turns that had been a strength of the car and an issue he had also experienced in the only practice session. Going off wide on his first run he did not set a competitive time on his first run. Continue reading...