Piastri records his first pole since Zandvoort, Hamilton is the first Ferrari driver to record consecutive Q1 exits since 2009 and Sainz becomes the first Williams driver to reach Q3 in Qatar. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix!
PIASTRI ON POLE AT THE 2025 QATAR GRAND PRIX
Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, taking his first pole – and his first front row qualification – since the Dutch Grand Prix.
This was the sixth pole position of Piastri’s career, making him the 50th driver to record as many as six poles in Formula 1. It was also his sixth pole of the season – one away from equalling Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the top of the list.
This is the first season in Formula 1 history in which three drivers have taken as many as six pole positions each.
Piastri is the fourth different polesitter in the four races to date at Lusail International Circuit. McLaren are the third team to take pole here, after Mercedes and Red Bull.
This was the first time Piastri qualified in the top three for a Grand Prix in Qatar.
IN THE TOP TEN
With Lando Norris qualifying on the front row, he ensured McLaren recorded their 70th front row lock-out. It makes McLaren the second team to record 70 front row lock-outs. Mercedes were first to reach the milestone, at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
McLaren are the first team to lock out the front row at the Qatar Grand Prix.
This was Norris’ fifth consecutive front row qualification. He ended a streak of three consecutive pole positions. This was his first front row qualification at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso became the first drivers to reach four Q3 appearances at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Verstappen qualified third, making this the first Qatar Grand Prix for which he has not qualified on the front row.
George Russell continued a streak of 15 Q3 appearances – all of which have been top six qualifications. This was the fourth time he qualified fourth in the last five race weekends.
With Russell fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth, this is the first time neither Mercedes driver qualified on the front row in Qatar.
Mercedes remain the only team with a 100% Q3 appearance rate at the Qatar Grand Prix. No Mercedes driver has ever qualified outside of the top six at Lusail International Circuit.
Carlos Sainz became the first driver to qualify in the top ten at the Qatar Grand Prix.
Sainz qualified seventh for the third time in his four Qatar Grand Prix appearances.
Pierre Gasly made this the first time in 2025 that Alpine have reached Q3 at three races in a row.
This was the first time Gasly qualified in the top ten at three races in a row since doing so at the 2023 Miami, Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix.
Isack Hadjar became the first driver for the Red Bull junior team to reach Q3 at the Qatar Grand Prix since both AlphaTauri drivers qualified in the top ten in 2021.
Hadjar reached Q3 for the fourth race in succession. This was his second top six qualification in that time, having qualified fifth at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Fernando Alonso qualified eighth for the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. This is the first time Alonso has qualified in the top eight at consecutive races since the Emilia Romagna and Monaco Grands Prix.
ELIMINATED IN Q2
For the first time since the Italian Grand Prix, Sauber saw both cars reach Q2. Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed out on Q3, qualifying 11th for the fourth time in the last six races.
Neither Haas driver reached Q3 for the second race in a row. Ollie Bearman was out in Q2, while Esteban Ocon exited in Q1.
OUT IN Q1
Lewis Hamilton exited in Q1 at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, recording successive Q1 eliminations for the first time since the 2009 Monaco, Turkish and British Grands Prix.
Hamilton is the first Ferrari driver to record Q1 exits at consecutive races since Giancarlo Fisichella, who was out in Q1 at all of the last four races of the 2009 season. Luca Badoer is the only other Ferrari driver to record successive Q1 eliminations.
Hamilton became the first Ferrari driver to be eliminated in Q1 at the Qatar Grand Prix.
This was the first time Hamilton qualified outside of the top six in Qatar.
Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in Q1 for the third race weekend in a row. This was the sixth race in a row at which he failed to reach Q3.
This was Tsunoda’s first Q1 exit at the Qatar Grand Prix. He is the first Red Bull driver to fail to reach Q3 in Qatar.
Tsunoda is the first Red Bull driver to record Q1 exits at three races in a row since David Coulthard between the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix and the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll continued a run of nine races without a Q3 appearance, exiting in Q1 for the sixth time in that period.
Both Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon were out in Q1 for the fifth time in the last seven races.
Colapinto exited in Q1 at the Qatar Grand Prix for the second year in a row. This was the fourth time he qualified last in 2025.
Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto joined Liam Lawson in the club of drivers who’ve recorded multiple Q1 exits at the Qatar Grand Prix. Stroll and Ocon are now the only drivers who’ve appeared at all four Qatar races to date and have been out-qualified on all four occasions.
Ocon ensured Haas maintained their record of having at least one driver out in Q1 at every Qatar Grand Prix to date.