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Piastri "came alive" for maiden F1 pole in China despite "scruffy" lap

Chinese Grand Prix Oscar Piastri McLaren Lando Norris F1 Lewis Hamilton the Chinese Grand Prix

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says he is "pumped" to grab his first-ever pole in Formula 1 after finding a burst of pace in the deciding Q3 shootout at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Piastri emerged as the lead McLaren driver over the Shanghai weekend, salvaging second place behind Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in the Saturday morning's sprint race while team-mate Lando Norris struggled with tyre wear. Norris looked the stronger of the two papaya cars during Q1 and Q2, but in the final top-10 shootout the Australian found the pace to clinch his first grand prix pole.

The Australian's first Q3 lap of 1m30.703s would already have been good enough for pole, but he then cemented his position with a second effort of 1m30.641s, 0.081s clear of George Russell and over a tenth ahead of Norris, who aborted his second lap after slipping up.

"I'm just pumped to be on pole," Piastri said after admitting he was screaming in his helmet on the in-lap. "In Q3 I just found a lot of pace. In Q1 and Q2 I was genuinely struggling and the car just came alive in Q3 - and I think I came alive in Q3 - so I'm happy with what I did at the end, even if the laps were still a little bit scruffy."

Oscar Piastri, McLaren (Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images)

Hamilton cantered to a first sprint win after enjoying the benefits of clear air to reduce how quickly his front tyres faded. Piastri is hoping he can similarly benefit from a clean getaway to boost his chances of converting his first pole into a third grand prix win.

"That is hopefully going to be a help. I am going to make sure I keep that clean air. But I was pretty happy after the sprint. I think we did the most that we could have. I would have been happier with one spot higher, but with how the race turned out, I couldn't have asked for much more. I feel like we learned a lot this morning, and looking forward to trying to put that to use tomorrow."

Photos from Chinese GP - Sprint Race & Qualifying

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Jack Doohan, Alpine

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Pierre Gasly, Alpine Fans

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Jack Doohan, Alpine

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Fans of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 22: Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1 on the grid with Haas F1 team members prior to the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on March 22, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Simon Gallo

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Zhou Guanyu , Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Yao Ming on the grid with Red Bull Racing team members

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Fans of Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Jack Doohan, Alpine

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Racing Bulls team cheer in the garage

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Fans of Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Alex Albon, Williams

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
George Russell, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Lando Norris, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Oscar Piastri, McLaren

2025 Chinese Grand Prix - Saturday
Formula 1
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In this article
Filip Cleeren
Formula 1
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
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