With only seconds left on the clock at the Lusail International Circuit, Norris suddenly dived into the pits, which opened the door for Oscar Piastri to take pole position. Piastri will now start first, with Norris alongside him on the front row. The result of the race will decide whether Norris becomes World Champion this weekend or whether the fight continues to Abu Dhabi.

Norris had been dealing with understeer throughout qualifying, something several drivers struggled with. He admitted that the issue struck again at the very beginning of his final attempt. Speaking to the media, he said: “I felt like I did a good first lap. I felt like there were plenty of places I thought I could go quicker. I think Turn 2 wasn’t necessarily one of them, but it was one where I just caught a bit of an understeer for some reason, and that was it.”

He added that the moment cost him so much time that continuing made no sense: “It was frustrating because I certainly think I could have done a better job and improved on my lap a good amount, but I didn’t, so second on the grid for tomorrow.” When asked whether he could have gone around again for one more try, Norris gave a simple answer: “I had no fuel, so I can’t do that.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella later confirmed exactly what happened in those early corners. He explained that Norris’s lap was effectively over almost as soon as it started. “He didn’t go actually off track, but in corner two he was about to go, so he needed to back off and brake to avoid going off track. At that stage the lap was just gone,” Stella said.

With Norris forced to slow down, Piastri completed his own second run cleanly and claimed pole by a few milliseconds. Stella praised both drivers: “It was very tight between the two, like pretty much all season. Oscar managed to improve in the second attempt, while Lando aborted it because he was going off track. Well deserved by Oscar.”

Norris admitted qualifying felt better than the Sprint sessions, especially after McLaren made set-up improvements. Still, he warned that the race itself may not be very exciting. Overtaking has been difficult all weekend, largely due to the short DRS zone into Turn 1. When asked about his chances, Norris said: “I felt like I could at least challenge for pole today. But unless I can pass Oscar at the start, the likelihood of beating him is low. Otherwise, I think it’s going to be a pretty boring and straightforward race.”

He also knows that becoming World Champion on Sunday depends entirely on beating Piastri. With only 50 points left after Qatar, a win would secure the title. But he remained realistic: “I’m second, so not a lot of chance for me to win at the minute. I just focus on trying to get a good start.” Stella agreed, saying that the team must stay calm and focused: “We don’t debate with mathematics. We just have to continue to do our good work as a team.”