Formula 1: Australian Oscar Piastri secures maiden pole position with record lap in China
Australian Formula One star Oscar Piastri has claimed his maiden Grand Prix pole position with a record lap in China.
The man from Melbourne has started from the front row seven times in his burgeoning career but always from second.
However, the streak was sensationally broken on Saturday as Piastri put together the two fastest laps in the third quick-fire qualifying session to earn top spot ahead of tomorrow’s feature race.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Reigning world champion Max Verstappen could not improve his lap time on his final run to come fourth, while Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris aborted his last try to settle for third.
The last car across the line, George Russell, nearly spoiled the Australian’s party, stunning the field to come within 0.082 seconds of pole for Mercedes.
Piastri’s time of 1:30.641 is a new track record, with times having ramped up across the weekend on the resurfaced Shanghai Audi International Circuit.
And the Aussie claimed he felt his efforts were still “scruffy”.
“Q3, I just found a lot of pace. Q1 and Q2, I was genuinely struggling, and the car just came alive, and I came alive in Q3,” he told Sky Sports post-session.
“Happy with what I did at the end, but even still, the laps were a little bit scruffy.
“I mean, I’m just pumped to be on pole. I think the new surface is extremely grippy, which, for us, is the best feeling in the world.”
The 23-year-old now has the chance to redeem a fatal spin during his home Grand Prix last weekend, getting beached on the grass costing him a spot on the podium.
Piastri’s stellar qualifying performance also came after taking second place in the Sprint race earlier in the day, having taken the position from Verstappen on lap 15 of 19.
The race was won by superstar veteran Lewis Hamilton, his first triumph since switching to motorsport powerhouses Ferrari from Mercedes.
It was a much tougher day for fellow Australian youngster Jack Doohan at Alpine.
The 22-year-old ran at the back of the pack for much of the Sprint race before a final lap collision with Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto compounded his efforts.
It only got worse in Grand Prix qualifying, Doohan unable to find any significant pace to record the third slowest time of the sessions and fall behind even teammate Pierre Gasly.
