Max Verstappen surprised with F1 pole in Qatar GP by 0.055s over George Russell, with Lando Norris in third.
Q1:
The first part in F1 Qatar GP qualifying saw drivers start the session on used set of soft tyres but most switched to a fresh set considering the improvements in lap time with track evolution. It was Mercedes’ George Russell at the front with a 1m21.241s lap after late improvement.
He displaced Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc from top spot to second, with teammate Carlos Sainz in the Top 3. The knockout zone saw Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m22.390s) miss out by 0.026s margin after Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda improved despite setting yellow sectors but improving still.
His teammate Liam Lawson (1m22.411s) was 17th where he complained about Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso ( it was Lance Stroll) slowing on purpose, as Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg (1m22442s) was 18th, Williams’ Franco Colapinto (1m22.594s) 19th and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m22.714s) 20th.
Q2:
The second part in F1 Qatar GP qualifying saw some lap deletions like it was seen in the first part, as the strategy of using the used set for their first run continued in Q2 as well. It was a late lap just before the chequered flag, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led the way with a 1m20.667s lap.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was second with Leclerc in third. The knockout zone saw Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (1m21.437s) miss out on a Top 10 by just 0.012 margin in 11th, with Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu (1m21.501s) missing out by just the 0.076s margin.
Guanyu led teammate Valtteri Bottas (1m21.731s) as the two pushed Visa Cash App RB’s Tsunoda (1m21.771s) to 14th, while Aston Martin’s Stroll (1m21.911s) was 15th. There was an unsafe release noted for Ferrari’s Sainz, who was released in front of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Q3:
The final part in F1 Qatar GP qualifying saw Russell lead the way provisionally with a 1m20.575s lap ahead of Leclerc, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in third from Sainz and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fifth. There was lap deletion for Alonso, who was third at one point.
Verstappen, meanwhile, was out of sequence as was Norris. The Brit did venture out early but aborted his run after a slight mistake. The Dutchman popped up to second as the Brit had to abort again. There was no improvement from Russell on his final attempt but the Dutchman did.
Verstappen posted a 1m20.520s lap to take F1 pole in Qatar GP – his first since Austria and first as newly crowned champion – by 0.055s margin over Russell, as Norris (1m20.772s) slotted in third. His teammate Piastri (1m20.829s) was fourth but both were crucially ahead of Leclerc (1m20.852s).
Hamilton (1m21.011s) was seventh from Sainz (1m21.041s), with Alonso (1m21.251s) managing to beat Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1m21.425s), as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m21.500s) rounded out the Top 10.
UPDATE: Ferrari were handed a fine of €5,000 for unsafe release of Sainz in front of Hamilton. Here: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2024%20Qatar%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Infringement%20-%20Car%2055%20-%20Alleged%20unsafe%20release.pdf
Verstappen, meanwhile, was handed a one place drop after he was found to have driving unnecessarily slowly on a prep lap when Russell reached towards him at a high-speed corner. The Brit noted that he couldn’t have pushed through considering the delta time.
Verstappen was not adhering to the delta time either but since neither drivers were on their push lap, the penalty that stewards felt would suffice was a grid drop of one place, which means the Dutchman will start from second on Sunday, with Russell on pole. He gets a one penalty point on his license as well, which takes the total to six.
Here’s how F1 Qatar GP sprint panned out
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