SQ1

As always with sprint qualifying, drivers rushed out of the pits as they had only 12 minutes to set one of the 15 fastest times in the first part.

Same as in FP3, Oliver Bearman took over Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and will also participate in tomorrow’s sprint, with Magnussen still unwell.

Pierre Gasly initially placed his Alpine at the top, but George Russell soon took over the lead.

Franco Colapinto had his time deleted for a track limits violation, while Liam Lawson was briefly quickest.

At that point, the timesheet was changing every second as drivers were getting ready for the final push of SQ1.

Lando Norris was the fastest man of the first part, thanks to a massive lap at the end, while Aston Martin suffered a double exit with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, starting tomorrow’s sprint from the fifteenth and nineteenth, respectively.

Yuki Tsunoda struggled with grip and finished 18th, disappointed to watch his teammate Lawson advance easily to SQ2.

Esteban Ocon finished seventeenth, despite his teammate also getting to the next part smoothly, while Guanyu Zhou finished traditionally at the back of the pack.

SQ2

At the beginning of the second part, Russell set the fastest lap but Norris immediately went six tenths faster.

Lewis Hamilton’s struggles from SQ1 and the earlier free practice carried over into SQ2, delivering only average lap times, while Russell showed significantly stronger performance.

Haas took a bold approach in the second part, opting for just one hot lap. This didn’t work out for Nico Hulkenberg, who finished in 12th, but Ollie Bearman managed to put together a solid lap, advancing to the next round.

Liam Lawson placed his RB in ninth place, knocking Hamilton out and leaving him to start tomorrow’s sprint from 11th.

Sergio Perez didn't get enough from his RB20 to make it to the final round, while Pierre Gasly impressively booked a spot in the top 10 for his Alpine.

Franco Colapinto finished 14th as Williams opted to stay in the pits for the final laps, while Valtteri Bottas, who did well to reach SQ2, couldn’t improve further and ended in 15th.

SQ3

The final part requires drivers to switch to soft compound tires, while the first two are run on medium sets.

At the start of SQ3, teams opted for different strategies as both McLarens and Alex Albon went straight onto the track to set their laps, while the rest stayed in the pits.
However, when the others joined in, both McLarens headed to the pits but then curiously rejoined the circuit right away after just a simple drive through the pit lane.

The fastest of the session—and the pole-sitter for tomorrow’s sprint—was Oscar Piastri, who surprised everyone with an incredible lap, beating his teammate Lando Norris, who took second.

Charles Leclerc secured third, followed by Max Verstappen, completing the second row for tomorrow. The other Ferrari, driven by Carlos Sainz, took fifth, with George Russell close behind in sixth.

Pierre Gasly put in a brilliant lap, placing his Alpine in seventh, right behind the top team drivers.

Liam Lawson took the eighth starting position for Red Bull, Alex Albon secured ninth for Williams, and Ollie Bearman, who was aiming high, had his time deleted and couldn’t set another, leaving him in tenth.