Max Verstappen beats Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to pole; Verstappen needs three points in Saturday’s sprint to seal drivers’ title; watch the Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Saturday before the Sprint at 6.30pm
Last Updated: 06/10/23 7:27pm
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Max Verstappen takes pole at the Qatar GP with Lando Norris just running off the track and missing out on second
Max Verstappen takes pole at the Qatar GP with Lando Norris just running off the track and missing out on second
Max Verstappen took pole position for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix in a dominant start to the event at which he appears certain to seal a third successive world championship.
Verstappen, who can clinch the drivers’ title with just three points in either Saturday’s Sprint or Sunday’s full-length contest, was comfortably clear of Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in second and third, respectively.
McLaren’s Lando Norris appeared to be the only driver with the pace to challenge Verstappen, but the Brit exceeded track limits on both of his Q3 flying runs to end the session without a time and in 10th.
His team-mate Oscar Piastri was initially promoted to third by Norris’ demotion, but was then also found to have exceeded track limits and dropped to sixth.
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Lance Stroll was furious after a fourth successive Q1 exit in the Aston Martin
Lance Stroll was furious after a fourth successive Q1 exit in the Aston Martin
Along with the Mercedes cars, Fernando Alonso benefitted to jump to fourth, while Charles Leclerc took fifth for Ferrari.
Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz’s strong form came to an abrupt end as the Spaniard made a surprise Q2 exit to qualify 12th, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez’s disappointing campaign continued as he finished a place further back.
Qatar GP Qualifying result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) George Russell, Mercedes
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
6) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
10) Lando Norris, McLaren
More to follow…
Qatar GP Qualifying timesheet
Driver Team Time 1. Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:23.778 2. George Russell Mercedes +0.441 3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.527 4. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.591 5. Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.646 6. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.762 7. Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.775 8. Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.985 9. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +1.280 10. Lando Norris McLaren no time Out in Q2 11. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:25.301 12. Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:25.328 13. Sergio Perez Red Bull 1:25.462 14. Alex Albon Williams 1:25.707 15. Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:25.783 Out in Q1 16. Logan Sargeant Williams 1:26.210 17. Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:26.345 18. Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:26.635 19. Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 1:27.046 20. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:27.432
Will Max Verstappen wrap up his third world championship at the first attempt at the Qatar GP? Watch every session of the Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1. Stream F1 and more with NOW for £21 a month for six months