Lando Norris bounces back from championship loss with sprint race pole in Qatar

Lando Norris bounced back from his championship defeat to secure pole position for Saturday’s sprint race in Qatar.

The British driver, mocked by Max Verstappen for failing to win the title in a McLaren deemed superior to the rest of the field, saw off Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.063 seconds.

Norris’ pole, combined with Piastri qualifying third, hands a timely boost to McLaren as they bid to land their their first constructors’ championship since 1998.

The British team will take the title in Doha if they outscore Ferrari by 21 points and do not concede nine points to third-placed Red Bull. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and fifth respectively for Ferrari.

Verstappen will start Saturday’s dash to the chequered flag from sixth, with Lewis Hamilton a place back, four tenths slower than Russell in the other Mercedes.

Verstappen secured his fourth world title in succession at the Las Vegas Grand Prix six days ago after he finished ahead of Norris in fifth.

The Dutchman then claimed he would have wrapped up the title “a lot sooner” had he been driving Norris’ McLaren – which has been the class of the field for much of the season.

“It is so quick around here and it feels like the quickest of the year,” said Norris. “It feels like you are hanging on.

“It was a great qualifying, especially to bounce back from where we were in Vegas. We came here to get pole and we did that so job done.

“I want to win tomorrow. Our target is a one-two finish and we want to maximise points for the constructors’ championship, but I am not expecting an easy race. Mercedes will be quick and Ferrari will be up there, too.”

For Hamilton, it marked another disappointing qualifying session. He made two mistakes in Las Vegas to leave him 10th on the grid before he fought back to second.

“I’m definitely not fast anymore,” said Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari next season.

“I’m just slow. The positive is that the car is fast and George should be able to fight for pole position (for Sunday’s Grand Prix) tomorrow.”

Sergio Perez failed to make it through the first phase of qualifying a week after he suffered the same fate for the grand prix in Las Vegas.

The 34-year-old Mexican insisted on Thursday that he is contracted to remain at Red Bull, but his poor display here will only lend to the theory that this could be the penultimate appearance of his career ahead of next weekend’s concluding round of the campaign in Abu Dhabi.

Liam Lawson, the man hoping to replace to Perez at Red Bull next year, impressed to make it into Q3. He will line up from 10th.