Second place for the Australian driver, completing the front row. Here are Piastri’s thoughts after Abu Dhabi qualifying
Oscar Piastri delivered exactly what was needed—and did it brilliantly. The Australian secured second place on the starting grid for Abu Dhabi, trailing only his teammate Lando Norris. Piastri expressed great satisfaction, having successfully placed ahead of Carlos Sainz, the sole Ferrari to reach Q3 today. Despite the drama of a track limits infringement on his first attempt—initially nullified but later reinstated—Piastri showed remarkable composure and precision, bringing the Papaya car back to the front row, edging out Carlos by just 20 milliseconds.
Piastri’s words after second place on the grid
Tomorrow’s race looks promising for Piastri, who remains the only driver on the grid yet to retire from a race this season. With one clear goal—winning the championship—he’ll have the support of a pole-sitting Lando Norris and little interference from Verstappen, Russell, or Leclerc, who all start further back. Reflecting on qualifying, Piastri said: “Today was more challenging compared to yesterday. It took us a bit of time to find the right rhythm in qualifying, but we got there in the end. I’m very happy with the team’s work. I was missing a little something on the final lap, but that’s okay. P2 is still a good result for the team—being 1-2 is a dream”.
“We’ll aim to hold these positions tomorrow. The lap that was deleted and then reinstated? I knew that if I had gone off, it wasn’t by much. I tried to stay focused and deliver a solid final lap. There was some tension, but knowing that the lap was reinstated gave me peace of mind. We’ll do everything we can to win the championship tomorrow. Both of us want to win the race, but I’m sure our main focus will be on securing the championship”.
Photo: McLaren