Oscar Piastri took the top spot in the Sprint Shootout Qualifying session and will take pole position for Saturday evening’s Sprint, with McLaren teammate Land Norris coming in second.
Rookie Piastri set the best time of 1:24.454s in his first Formula 1 visit to Qatar, with Norris 0.082s behind.
Max Verstappen was beaten to third in his Red Bull, with George Russell taking fourth for Mercedes.
Carlos Sainz completed the top five, ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth.
![Franco Colpinto [front] avoided Liam Lawson [back] at the start of the Australian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Franco-Colapinto-F1-Aus-GP-120x86.webp)
Nico Hulkenberg continued to show his impressive one-lap pace by placing his Haas in seventh ahead of Sergio Perez, who finished eighth in the second Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon completed the top-10, failing to set a representative time.
[motorsport_result id=’127936′]
![Franco Colpinto [front] avoided Liam Lawson [back] at the start of the Australian GP](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Franco-Colapinto-F1-Aus-GP-360x180.webp)
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