Max Verstappen takes shock Pole in Qatar
Max Verstappen claims Qatar GP pole position ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, with McLaren's Lando Norris third amid stewards investigation
Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, beating Mercedes' George Russell by 0.055 seconds after a late surge in Q3.
The Red Bull driver faces a stewards' investigation for exceeding maximum lap time limits during the session.
Q1
In Q1, Alpine's Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon were eliminated alongside Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, and Alex Albon.
Williams' Albon was knocked out by Yuki Tsunoda despite the RB driver not setting personal best sectors.
Q2
Q2 saw Pierre Gasly narrowly miss out on the top 10, falling short by just 0.012s to Sergio Perez.
Zhou Guanyu impressed with 12th for Sauber, outpacing teammate Valtteri Bottas. Tsunoda and Lance Stroll completed the eliminations.
Q3
The final session witnessed Russell initially setting the pace before Verstappen's decisive lap of 1:20.520.
McLaren locked out the second row with Lando Norris third and Oscar Piastri fourth.
Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, splitting the Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton took sixth.
Fernando Alonso secured eighth, while Perez and Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top 10.
Qatar GP Qualifying Results
| Pos | Driver | Time | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 1:20.520 | Red Bull | |
| 2 | George Russell | 1:20.575 | Mercedes | +0.055 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | 1:20.772 | McLaren | +0.252 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:20.829 | McLaren | +0.309 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:20.852 | Ferrari | +0.332 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:21.011 | Mercedes | +0.491 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | 1:21.041 | Ferrari | +0.521 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | 1:21.251 | Aston Martin | +0.731 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | 1:21.425 | Red Bull | +0.905 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | 1:21.500 | Haas | +0.980 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | - | Alpine | - |
| 12 | Guanyu Zhou | - | Sauber | - |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | - | Sauber | - |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | - | RB | - |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | - | Aston Martin | - |
| 16 | Alex Albon | - | Williams | - |
| 17 | Liam Lawson | - | RB | - |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | - | Haas | - |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | - | Williams | - |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | - | Alpine | - |
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