Damon Hill drops 4-word reaction to Oscar Piastri securing pole position for the F1 Qatar GP sprint

Oscar Piastri bolstered the top spot at the end of the sprint qualifying in Qatar, leading former F1 champion Damon Hill to share his reaction to the Aussie's feat over his Instagram. The 65-year-old dropped a concise remark and asserted that the championship contender did a "good job" while simultaneously trying to make a comeback in the drivers' standings.

In the past seven race weekends, Piastri had not topped even a single qualifying session, whether it be the qualifying for the Grand Prix or the sprint races. However, this unfortunate streak came to an end at the Lusail International Circuit, a track where the Aussie has had a fair bit of success in F1.

The McLaren driver overthrew George Russell from the provisional pole and put in a laptime which was 32 thousandths of a second faster than the Mercedes driver. So, reflecting on his resurgence back to the front of the grid, Hill captioned his Instagram story:

"Good job Smiling Again"

Damon Hill's reaction to Oscar Piastri scoring the sprint pole in Qatar | Source: Instagram/@96f1champ

Oscar Piastri's lap time during SQ3 was a 1:20.055s, a few one-hundredths shy of breaking into the 1:19s.

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Oscar Piastri was happy with his qualifying despite asserting there was more left on the table for him

McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Qatar race weekend - Source: Getty

Oscar Piastri has lost points to both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris since the Dutch GP. With low-abrasion tracks often being a tough point for the Aussie, the paddock was looking to the Lusail International Circuit for a possible revival for Piastri due to the high tire wear where he often flourishes, and the initial signs point towards it.

After scoring the sprint pole, he was seen content with his performance after a long while. Though the 24-year-old admitted he could have still achieved more, he further added in the post-sprint qualifying interview:

"It was a good day, which is nice for a change, and it has been a day where things have clicked, from the start. The Sprint quali session went really well, and I had a pretty big moment on my lap, but it was just enough in the end. The car has been really good this weekend, so I'm pretty happy."

"I think if you hook it up, there was a 1:19 in there, but I'm just happy with the result. There are obviously a few things to try and tidy up, but it is nice to be able to say that when you are starting on pole. It's only Sprint pole and for a few points, but I will take whatever I can get."

Piastri goes into the Qatar GP weekend with a 24-point deficit to championship leader and his teammate, Norris, in the championship standings.