Australian Newcomer Piastri Steals First Formula 1 Pole at McLaren
Piastri clinches inaugural Formula One pole position in impressive fashion
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp E-Mail Print Copy Link
In a thrilling turn of events, McLaren's newcomer, Oscar Piastri, nabbed the coveted pole position in Formula 1 for his very first Grand Prix. His teammate, the current championship leader Lando Norris, narrowly missed the top spot, settling for third place. Series veteran Lewis Hamilton experienced a minor hiccup following his sprint win.
Piastri's impressive achievement marks his debut pole position in Formula 1 since his entrance into the series at the start of 2023. This milestone outshone Norris, who managed to outpace rival George Russell in the Mercedes crowd.
"It's blooming marvellous!" Piastri exclaimed, visibly thrilled about his historical accomplishment. During qualifying, Piastri faced some difficulties; he admitted, "I'm chuffed it looked easy, it was anything but for a spell. The car and I finally got our act together in the third segment."
Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, set up camp in fourth place with the Red Bull squad, while Lewis Hamilton's tumultuous ride in the Ferrari persisted: the record-holder clinched a fifth-place finish - less than 24 hours earlier, he clinched the sprint in Shanghai, bouncing back successfully from a shaky Ferrari debut last weekend in Australia. His teammate Charles Leclerc secured sixth.
"Formula 1 is all about performance," states Red Bull motorsports advisor Helmut Marko. He isn't optimistic about Lawson's chances for the win on Sunday, as Lawson concluded the qualifying session in last place. Questions surrounding Lawson's future with Red Bull have arisen early in the season, and Marko acknowledges that changes might be considered mid-year, stating, "We'll take a measured approach to analyzing everything. Formula 1 is a performance sport."
Former race winner Nico Hülkenberg claimed the 12th starting position in the Sauber, making a surprise appearance in the points at the season opener in Melbourne. Despite his third-place finish in the championship, Norris only maintains a slight two-point advantage over Verstappen heading into Sunday's Grand Prix, given his eighth-place result in the China sprint.
dig deeper:- Ferrari- Formula 1- Lewis Hamilton- Max Verstappen- Red Bull Racing
While the focus of the article is on the 2023 Formula 1 season, it is worth noting that Liam Lawson's trajectory in the Red Bull program began in previous years. In 2023, Lawson was part of the junior program but drove for AlphaTauri (known as Scuderia Toro Rosso) for a few races instead of Red Bull Racing itself. More research may be required to uncover his exact role and full-season participation with Red Bull Racing in the 2023 season. In the 2025 season, Lawson participated as a second driver for Red Bull Racing, but after experiencing a challenging start, he was moved to Racing Bulls, making room for Yuki Tsunoda to join Red Bull Racing as of the Japanese Grand Prix.
- Liam Lawson, a part of Red Bull Racing's program since previous years, is currently grappling with setbacks in Formula One, as he concluded the qualifying session in last place.
- Ahead of Piastri's pole position win at McLaren, Lando Norris and George Russell staged a close battle, with Norris ultimately outpacing Russell during qualifying.
- Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen, a formidable competitor to Lewis Hamilton's Formula One dominance, settled for fourth place during the qualifying stages.
