Verstappen Claims Dramatic Qatar GP Pole After Two-Month Drought
Verstappen secures Qatar GP pole after intense qualifying battle with Russell, facing potential investigation for impeding incident.
Driver stands atop racing car
Max Verstappen clinched pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, his first since the Austrian GP in June, narrowly beating Mercedes' George Russell. The championship leader is under investigation for allegedly impeding Russell during a preparation lap, which the Mercedes driver described as "super dangerous."
Russell initially held provisional pole but couldn't improve on his final run due to deteriorating track conditions. Verstappen, showing improved form after earlier Sprint race struggles, managed to find an extra tenth of a second to secure pole with a margin of 0.045s.
McLaren locked out the second row, with Lando Norris qualifying third (+0.252s) and Oscar Piastri fourth (+0.309s), following their impressive one-two finish in the Sprint race.
The top 10 qualifiers:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Notable developments include Sauber's first double-Q2 appearance since the Spanish GP, with Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas qualifying 12th and 13th respectively. Nico Hulkenberg suffered a surprising Q1 exit due to battery deployment issues, while Franco Colapinto qualified 19th and Esteban Ocon finished last.
F1 Qualifying Results Grid
The race outcome remains uncertain, with Verstappen's potential penalty pending investigation and track conditions playing a crucial role in strategy decisions.
Related Articles
Cadillac Confirms U.S. Headquarters for F1 Team, Prioritizes Merit-Based Driver Selection
