McLaren’s Oscar Piastri delivered a stunning performance to secure his first-ever Formula One pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, setting the stage for an electrifying race on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Australian showcased his talent with two blistering laps during qualifying, both fast enough to clinch the top spot on the grid. Piastri, who finished second in Saturday morning’s Sprint race, outshone his competitors to share the front row with Mercedes’ George Russell.

Piastri’s McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, will start third despite a strong showing in the earlier qualifying segments (Q1 and Q3). However, a late pit stop after a series of errors on his final lap marred Norris’ chance at pole, continuing a challenging weekend for the Brit.

He lines up ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the championship frontrunner, who could only manage fourth. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, fresh off his Sprint race victory earlier in the day, will start fifth, with teammate Charles Leclerc in sixth.

Piastri’s breakthrough pole marks a significant milestone in his young career and bolsters McLaren’s momentum as they aim to challenge Red Bull’s dominance. With the 56-lap Chinese Grand Prix set to begin at 3 PM local time (0700 GMT), all eyes will be on Piastri to convert his pole into a maiden F1 victory, while Hamilton looks to climb the order from fifth in pursuit of more Shanghai success.