Karun Chandhok suspects Oscar Piastri used ‘Fernando Alonso trick’ vs Lando Norris at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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Oscar Piastri stunned McLaren teammate Lando Norris to snatch pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Friday evening. Norris had blitzed the field until the final runs of SQ3.

Norris set an ominous benchmark on the medium tyres in SQ1, finishing nearly eight-tenths clear of nearest challenger Piastri on a 70-second lap. The Australian narrowed the gap to two-tenths in SQ2 but the shoot-out still looked like a foregone conclusion.

Indeed, the title challenger dipped into the 1:08s to take provisional pole after the opening runs. The drivers switched to the faster soft compound for the final session.

However, Piastri snatched pole position by lapping just under three-hundredths quicker at the end. Norris had the chance to respond but couldn’t find any more time.

Piastri still hasn’t scored his maiden Grand Prix pole but this is the second time he’ll start from the front in a Sprint. The first was in Qatar last year, and he went on to secure victory.

However, his prospects are already in doubt ahead of Saturday’s race. That’s because McLaren have publicly stated that they’ll prioritise Norris’ title battle with Max Verstappen.

Karun Chandhok wonders if Oscar Piastri kept pace in reserve at Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Commentating for Sky Sports F1, ex-driver Karun Chandhok looked on in amazement as Piastri turned the tables on Norris. He wonders if the 23-year-old deliberately concealed his full potential until it mattered.

Chandhok says this was a trick two-time world champion Fernando Alonso previously used. Alonso has racked up 22 poles during his career.

Norris has been dominant against Piastri in qualifying this year. He leads the Saturday head-to-head 17-3, one of the largest margins on the F1 grid.

“Where did that come from?” Chandhok said. “Has he kept something in his pocket until the final part? He didn’t want to show his hand to his teammate maybe? That’s a good old Fernando Alonso trick.”

Eddie Jordan’s concern about Oscar Piastri amid Lando Norris battle

McLaren have a major decision to make overnight. Verstappen will start fourth for the Sprint, but if he holds that position and Norris wins, the Englishman will only gain four points.

The big returns are on offer on Sunday, and crucially Verstappen is set to serve a five-place grid penalty for an ICE change. But Zak Brown may feel that Norris needs every point he can get given the current deficit of 47.

Eddie Jordan expressed concern about Piastri before this weekend’s race. He’d seen his form dip in Mexico and the United States, and while this was an emphatic response, Jordan’s fears that he won’t be allowed to win again this year could be realised.

Sky pundit Martin Brundle has warned McLaren about Piastri amid their team orders dilemma. He says they must stop him turning into another Rubens Barrichello, who played second fiddle to Michael Schumacher for so long at Ferrari.