“Nice,” was all Oscar Piastri said when informed of his position in qualifying for the Formula 1 Sprint Race at the São Paulo Grand Prix.
Pole position is nice, indeed.
McLaren locked out the front row for Saturday’s F1 Sprint Race in São Paulo, with Piastri taking pole position and teammate Lando Norris qualifying in P2.
It is Piastri’s second-career F1 Sprint pole, matching the pole position the Australian driver captured for the F1 Sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix a season ago.
“It was a tricky session, I felt pretty comfortable at the start and then the grip was really coming up a lot through the session,” said Piastri to Naomi Schiff following qualifying. “With the track this year it’s hard enough to see where you’re going, let alone trying to do a fast lap, so it’s challenging out there, but happy to have qualified on pole for the Sprint.”
Piastri will now focus on finding a win on Saturday.
“Try and win, obviously that’s the first thing,” said Piastri about his approach for Saturday’s F1 Sprint. “Starting from the best seat in the house, I’ll try and make sure it stays that way.”
With Piastri and Norris starting on the front row, it gives McLaren a fantastic chance at bringing home a solid chunk of points in Saturday’s F1 Sprint race. With the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. starting third and fifth, respectively, and Max Verstappen sandwiched between the two Ferrari drivers in fourth, McLaren can take a step forward in the fight for the F1 Constructors’ Championship tomorrow.
But the big points are handed out on Sunday.
Here are the full results from qualifying for the F1 Sprint Race at the São Paulo Grand Prix:
