Lewis Hamilton will surely be delighted that the end of the Formula 1 season is just over a week away. It has been a thoroughly miserable first campaign behind the wheel of a Ferrari and the campaign looks set to finish with a whimper, after yet another early exit in a qualifying session – this time for the Sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
He was sat in the bottom five at the start of his final run in SQ1 on Friday night and, at any other point of his career, it would have been a mere formality that he would produce the goods to move himself out of danger. But that last attempt was a feeble one which lifted him only marginally above the elimination zone, before Kimi Antonelli did what his far more experienced rival should have done and catapulted himself up the order, condemning the seven-time champion in the process.
Hamilton qualified just 18th, while team-mate Charles Leclerc reached SQ3 with ease but then only managed to go ninth quickest on another chastening day for Ferrari. At the front, Oscar Piastri took pole position for the Sprint with a timely performance to prove that he still has what it takes to get the better of championship leader Lando Norris.
George Russell split the two McLaren cars and Piastri will hope that the Mercedes driver can stay in front of Norris, with every point vital now in these final two weekends of the season. The other title contender, Max Verstappen could only manage sixth on the grid and, somewhat surprisingly, was beaten by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
Piastri said: “It has been a day where things have clicked from the start. I’m happy with the result – a few things to tidy up but it is nice to be able to say that starting from pole. It is only the Sprint, but I’ll take what I can get. The pace was there all day, hopefully we can keep that going.”
Fernando Alonso also shone in the Aston Martin to qualify fourth, as new team principal Adrian Newey watched on from the pit wall. Williams saw both drivers make it into SQ3 with Carlos Sainz eighth, two places ahead of team-mate Alex Albon, both behind Antonelli who managed to go seventh quickest.