Third-placed McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, left, congratulates his teammate first-placed Oscar Piastri of Australia after the sprint qualifying for the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix on Friday.

Oscar Piastri took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race on Friday, pushing his McLaren teammate Lando Norris into third place. A disgruntled Max Verstappen qualified only sixth.

Norris holds a 24-point lead in Formula 1 over both men, and may well be relieved that Verstappen will start Saturday’s sprint race behind him. The winner gets eight points with the top eight scoring points.

“A day when things clicked,” said Piastri, whose form has nosedived in the second part of the season. “It’s nice to be back.”

In-form Mercedes driver George Russell found a late burst to qualify

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