Verstappen Loses Qatar Pole Position After Dangerous Qualifying Maneuver
Max Verstappen has lost pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix following a qualifying incident with George Russell, receiving a one-place grid penalty that promotes Russell to pole position.
The incident occurred during Q3 when Verstappen was driving slowly to create a gap and cool his tires. Russell nearly collided with the Red Bull driver's car, describing the maneuver as "super dangerous" before overtaking Verstappen to start his lap.
The stewards investigated Verstappen for "driving unnecessarily slowly" and issued their decision three hours after qualifying. They opted for a one-place penalty instead of the usual three-place grid drop, noting that Russell had clear visibility of Verstappen and neither driver was on a push lap at the time.
Two F1 drivers talking trackside
The stewards explained that while Verstappen failed to comply with race director's event notes and drove unnecessarily slowly, the case was complex. They noted that Verstappen was attempting to cool his tires and had seen Russell approaching in his mirrors between Turns 11 and 12.
The penalty includes one penalty point, bringing Verstappen's 12-month total to six. This marks the second consecutive pole position affected by penalties for Verstappen, following his grid penalty in Belgium for exceeding power unit components. His last official pole position remains from the Austrian Grand Prix in June.
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