Verstappen pips Russell to pole in qualifying for Qatar Grand Prix
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Max Verstappen has secured pole position for tomorrow's Qatar Grand Prix after a blistering lap in the Qatari desert. It's the Dutchman's first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix in July. He's joined on the front row by a quick George Russell, with the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri taking their spots on the second row. Verstappen, however, is under investigation by race control for going too slowly on a cooldown lap.
How Qualifying unfolded in Qatar:
Q1:
George Russell was the first man on Saturday evening to venture onto the Losail International Circuit. The Brit was the early pacesetter, sitting in first place for the majority of Q1. In a largely uneventful start to the session, Kevin Magnussen was the only driver with an issue, suffering from a big snap of oversteer, which ran him off the circuit. As time ticked down, the battle to escape the first session hotted up in the desert. When the chequered flag fell, the five eliminated cars were Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, sprint-point scorer Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon. It was a rare Q1 survival for both Saubers, too. The pairing of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas managed to advance.
Q2:
Coming into Q2, Russell once again set the early pace, topping the leaderboard with his first lap. Max Verstappen made a leap after eighth place in the sprint race and managed to pip the Mercedes driver before returning to the pits. Elsewhere, Sergio Perez had a quick trip into the gravel track as he appeared to have been distracted by something. The moment was reminiscent of today's sprint race, where the Mexican, starting from the pitlane, was overtaken at the exit by Franco Colapinto as he missed the light change to green. With four minutes left on the clock, there was just one-hundredth of a second between first and fourth place. Drivers continued to gain confidence, and the track continued to develop. Verstappen topped the session by three-tenths, and those eliminated were Pierre Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll.
Q3:
After the first few minutes of the session, George Russell looked quick once again. The Brit had been a threat to pole position throughout the qualifying hour. Lando Norris had a scary moment on his first flyer. The sprint polesitter ran wide and crossed the short gravel trap in the process. Already confirmed world champion Max Verstappen's effort was less than half a tenth slower than Russell's provisional pole time. Of course, there were still multiple minutes and opportunities left for the others to try another lap, setting up a dramatic conclusion to the session. In the end, it was Max Verstappen who pipped George Russell to pole position in what has been a great turnaround for the Red Bull team.
What happened in today's earlier sprint?
Oscar Piastri won Saturday's sprint race in Qatar, with Lando Norris gifting his teammate the win. Norris led from start to finish and helped his McLaren teammate in the process by giving him DRS. This aided Piastri in his defence of George Russell. As a result, McLaren maximised and extended their lead in the Constructors' Championship over Ferrari.
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