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OSCAR PIASTRI PUSHES: POLE PUTS F1 PRESSURE BACK ON NORRIS, MAX VERSTAPPEN

McLaren's Oscar Piastri snatches pole for the Qatar GP sprint race, beating George Russell. Title rivals Lando Norris is P3, while a frustrated Max Verstappen starts P6.

Oscar Piastri Pushes: Pole Puts F1 Pressure Back on Norris, Max Verstappen
Piastri Takes Pole, Shrinks Norris's Title Lead

Oscar Piastri grabbed pole for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race. The McLaren racer edged out George Russell in his Mercedes for second, with Lando Norris in third. It was just what Piastri needed for his championship hopes, giving him a shot at shrinking Norris's lead. Max Verstappen, the other title contender, was angry with his Red Bull's shaky performance and will start sixth.

In the first Q3 runs, Piastri set the fastest time with a 1:20.241, just a hair faster than Norris. Verstappen complained that his car was bouncing in the corners, missing the stability in fast turns that used to be its strength. He also had this problem in practice. He went wide on his first run and didn't set a good time.

The track got grippier for the final laps, and Verstappen was first out. He put in a clean lap, but he was still struggling. The cars behind him improved as the track got faster, and his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, even beat him in qualifying, finishing fifth.

But it was Piastri who snatched the top spot with a great lap of 1:20.055. Russell followed, splitting the two McLarens, as Norris went wide while pushing hard on his final lap.

Norris leads Piastri and Verstappen by 24 points. With 58 points still up for grabs, the title can't be won or lost in the sprint, but it could play a role in whether Norris can wrap it up on Sunday or if his competitors can push it to the final race next week in Abu Dhabi.

Lewis Hamilton's tough season continued as he was knocked out in Q1, landing only 18th on the grid. The car won't go any quicker, he said, which pretty much sums up his first year with Ferrari.

The sprint on Saturday will require two pit stops. Pirelli limited tyre use to 25 laps as a precaution against punctures on this demanding track, which puts a lot of stress on the tyres. The teams will all have to stop twice with 57 laps to go.

THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON

After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.

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Hamilton’s exit clock is ticking

Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.

Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.

That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.

He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.

Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.

Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.

Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.

What's Hamilton saying about quitting?

When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.

At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.

Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.

He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.

In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.

MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.

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Verstappen Wins Fifth Straight Peer Award

Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.

The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.

The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.

Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.

The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.

George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.

Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.

Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.

Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.

Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.

Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.

The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.

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