Piastri: The big points are in the main race

Piastri won the Sprint Race from pole, while teammate Lando Norris was third. The Australian then went on to take pole in Qualifying for the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix as his teammate was second, while their rival and defending Formula 1 Champion, Max Verstappen, was third.

Piastri reduced his deficit to his teammate in the Drivers' Championship to 22 points but is wary that he also needs to deliver on Sunday, as a win by Norris will mean an end to the Title battle, as Verstappen is now 25 points behind the Championship leader.

Reflecting on his Saturday, Piastri said: "A great result to be on Pole and to have won the Sprint. I've been able to get comfortable in the car really easily here and the pace has been mega.

"Driving around here in these conditions is some of the most fun you can have in an F1 car, so it seems to have all clicked well.

"However, the big points are in the main race, so let's see what we can do tomorrow. Just got to keep focused, do what we can overnight and make sure we finish first," he concluded.

Norris basically handed Piastri pole position after his mistake in Q3, but is hopeful that he will have a chance to make amends in the Grand Prix on Sunday.

"Sprint and Quali done here in Qatar," the Briton said. "The Sprint wasn't the most eventful, but it was useful ahead of tomorrow's Grand Prix.

"The front row is a good starting position for tomorrow's race," he pointed out. "We saw in the Sprint how difficult it can be to overtake here, but with a longer race and some more strategy options, we'll see what we can do to fight for the win.

"We'll work this evening to prepare for the race and make sure we're in the best possible position for tomorrow's Grand Prix," Norris concluded.

As for McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella, he summed up his team's day, insisting they will not be making any calculations with regard to any permutations in the Championship.

He said: "A very positive day for the team, with a first and third place in the Sprint and a one-two finish in Qualifying.

"Oscar was perfect today, it would be difficult to ask him to do a better job, and it was great to hear him so happy on his in-lap after Pole position.

"Lando didn't have perfect balance in the Sprint and in Qualifying a small mistake in his last attempt in Q3 cost him the chance to fight for Pole right to the end, but once again another strong effort and he'll be on the front row of the starting grid.

"There is still a lot of work to do to prepare for the race and we have no intention of making calculations, especially because our main opponent will be right behind us, ready to take his chances.

"As always, we will focus on ourselves to maximise our starting positions," the Italian concluded.