The Fort Worth Press - Piastri takes Brazil sprint pole ahead of Norris

USD -
AED 3.67301
AFN 67.735624
ALL 93.676927
AMD 389.366092
ANG 1.79184
AOA 912.999767
ARS 1004.2644
AUD 1.537716
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.698816
BAM 1.866649
BBD 2.007368
BDT 118.805833
BGN 1.86519
BHD 0.376881
BIF 2936.769267
BMD 1
BND 1.340014
BOB 6.908201
BRL 5.788556
BSD 0.994226
BTN 84.384759
BWP 13.582568
BYN 3.25367
BYR 19600
BZD 2.004028
CAD 1.39721
CDF 2871.000251
CHF 0.89023
CLF 0.035245
CLP 972.511859
CNY 7.247004
CNH 7.247775
COP 4389.75
CRC 506.418516
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 105.825615
CZK 24.144979
DJF 177.047741
DKK 7.11428
DOP 59.918874
DZD 133.978042
EGP 49.606897
ERN 15
ETB 121.711477
EUR 0.953875
FJD 2.273298
FKP 0.789317
GBP 0.79573
GEL 2.739828
GGP 0.789317
GHS 15.795384
GIP 0.789317
GMD 71.000264
GNF 8569.792412
GTQ 7.717261
GYD 209.15591
HKD 7.78065
HNL 25.124314
HRK 7.133259
HTG 130.508232
HUF 391.270342
IDR 15867.7
ILS 3.67335
IMP 0.789317
INR 84.28615
IQD 1302.422357
IRR 42074.999919
ISK 138.219991
JEP 0.789317
JMD 158.38702
JOD 0.709297
JPY 154.504005
KES 129.249442
KGS 86.789401
KHR 4002.863278
KMF 472.497487
KPW 899.999621
KRW 1402.629477
KWD 0.30781
KYD 0.828545
KZT 496.420868
LAK 21838.433199
LBP 89031.629985
LKR 289.365682
LRD 180.450118
LSL 17.940997
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.855212
MAD 10.057392
MDL 18.13427
MGA 4640.464237
MKD 58.714344
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999946
MOP 7.971348
MRU 39.559055
MUR 46.829705
MVR 15.459824
MWK 1723.996411
MXN 20.36164
MYR 4.452002
MZN 63.909817
NAD 17.940997
NGN 1682.389973
NIO 36.583154
NOK 11.06721
NPR 134.268671
NZD 1.71082
OMR 0.385003
PAB 0.99976
PEN 3.769947
PGK 4.002863
PHP 59.019016
PKR 276.089812
PLN 4.12535
PYG 7761.46754
QAR 3.646048
RON 4.747299
RSD 111.608999
RUB 104.015417
RWF 1357.193987
SAR 3.754629
SBD 8.383555
SCR 15.037077
SDG 601.499594
SEK 10.987405
SGD 1.34732
SHP 0.789317
SLE 22.729727
SLL 20969.504736
SOS 568.169888
SRD 35.494016
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.699677
SYP 2512.529858
SZL 17.934793
THB 34.603018
TJS 10.647152
TMT 3.5
TND 3.17616
TOP 2.342103
TRY 34.590225
TTD 6.752501
TWD 32.470987
TZS 2649.999926
UAH 41.131388
UGX 3694.035222
UYU 42.516436
UZS 12754.82935
VES 47.132583
VND 25420
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.791591
XAF 626.062515
XAG 0.03248
XAU 0.000372
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.756295
XOF 626.062515
XPF 113.823776
YER 249.925
ZAR 18.067798
ZMK 9001.200923
ZMW 27.464829
ZWL 321.999592
  • RYCEF

    0.0000

    6.8

    0%

  • CMSD

    0.1450

    24.605

    +0.59%

  • VOD

    0.1700

    8.9

    +1.91%

  • CMSC

    0.0578

    24.73

    +0.23%

  • SCS

    0.2900

    13.56

    +2.14%

  • NGG

    0.2300

    63.34

    +0.36%

  • RIO

    0.7550

    63.105

    +1.2%

  • RBGPF

    0.0000

    60.19

    0%

  • RELX

    -0.0700

    46.68

    -0.15%

  • JRI

    0.1400

    13.35

    +1.05%

  • BCC

    6.8300

    150.61

    +4.53%

  • BCE

    0.1400

    26.91

    +0.52%

  • BP

    -0.3600

    29.36

    -1.23%

  • GSK

    0.1450

    34.105

    +0.43%

  • AZN

    0.6600

    66.29

    +1%

  • BTI

    0.1850

    37.565

    +0.49%

Piastri takes Brazil sprint pole ahead of Norris
Piastri takes Brazil sprint pole ahead of Norris / Photo: © AFP

Piastri takes Brazil sprint pole ahead of Norris

Oscar Piastri snatched pole position for Saturday's sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix with a dazzling late lap to beat team-mate Lando Norris as McLaren locked out the front row of the grid.

Text size:

In an exciting sprint qualifying session, with rain threatening, Piastri clocked a best lap in one minute and 8.899 seconds to beat championship-chasing Norris by 0.029 with Charles Leclerc taking third for Ferrari.

Three-time world champion and series leader Max Verstappen, who faces a five-place grid penalty in Sunday's Grand Prix for taking a new engine, was fourth for Red Bull ahead of Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari, Mercedes' George Russell, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson of RB.

Alex Albon was ninth for Williams ahead of the impressive Oliver Bearman, the British teenager driving for Haas in place of Kevin Magnussen, who was ill.

"The track was moving on really quickly and I caught up through the runs and then put it on pole," said Australian pole-sitter Piastri.

"It was nice. I'm not surprised at our pace. We felt confident here from this morning."

Norris said he, too, was pleased, but declined to talk about his bid to overhaul a 47-point deficit and take the title from Verstappen.

"I hate answering these questions," he said. "I'm just concentrating on my own job and that's it. I don't care where Max qualifies."

Verstappen said fourth was as much as he expected.

"It's very bumpy here and not suited to our car," he said.

The bumpy track, with a new asphalt surface, ramped up rapidly from the start of the first qualifying session as Lawson went top ahead of Norris and Russell before Piastri, revelling in McLaren's new rear wing, took command. Verstappen and Leclerc tried, but failed to match him.

At this stage, the entire field was running on medium tyres as is mandatory for the first two sessions as dark clouds threatened before Norris, fastest in the morning free practice session, took over on top.

- Temperature falls -

In a frantic conclusion, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin failed to make the cut in 16th place along with Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda of RB, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin and Sauber's Zhou Guanyu.

For Alonso, who arrived at the track on Friday morning following an overnight flight from Europe where he was treated for an intestinal infection, it was his first early exit in qualifying this year.

In the second perios, Russell briskly set off to set a banker lap in 1:09.683 before Norris, clearly in the mood, beat that time by six-tenths to go top in 1:09.063, a lap that left Verstappen four-tenths adrift.

Ferrari, fuelled by the emotions generated by two consecutive victories, were unable to optimise their tyres to match Norris's pace, too, and received bad news when Leclerc was requested to see the stewards in relation to alleged swearing at the post-race news conference in Mexico.

This followed Verstappen's sarcastic references suggesting he had been victimised by the FIA for his own profanities this season.

The session ended with Norris on top ahead of Piastri and Leclerc with Verstappen fourth, but Mercedes' seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in 11th place together with Nico Hulkenberg in the second Haas, Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, Williams' Franco Colapinto and Sauber's Valtteri Bottas.

By the time the third qualifying run began, a cool wind had arrived and the track temperature had fallen 20 degrees, a warning that prompted McLaren to send both cars out ahead of the rest, Norris leading the way in 1:08.928, three-tenths clear of Piastri.

With three minutes remaining, the rest emerged for one flying lap, but it was Piastri who produced the speed with a stunning effort in 1:08.899 to take pole as Norris aborted his lap and settled for second.

P.Navarro--TFWP