Max Verstappen roared back to the front in Saturday evening’s qualifying in Qatar, securing his first Formula 1 pole position since last summer’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The reigning champion edged Mercedes’ George Russell by a razor-thin margin of 0.055 seconds, marking a triumphant turnaround for Red Bull after a lackluster showing in the sprint sessions earlier in the weekend.
Red Bull found the missing speed just in time for the grid-defining session. Verstappen delivered a flying lap of 1m20.520s in Q3, snatching pole from Russell’s earlier benchmark of 1m20.575s.
Russell, who had initially set the fastest time in the top-ten shootout, struggled to improve on his final attempt. He lost time in the second and third sectors, leaving the door open for Verstappen to claim the top spot.
Despite his success, Verstappen’s pole position is under scrutiny. He faces a potential investigation by the stewards for allegedly exceeding the maximum allowed lap time during a sighter lap earlier in the session that nearly put Russell in harm’s way.
Lando Norris managed third on the grid but admitted McLaren didn’t have the same punch in qualifying as it did earlier in the Sprint event. His teammate Oscar Piastri will join him on the second row, putting both McLarens in strong contention for Sunday’s main event.
Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari in fifth place, narrowly ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who slotted his Mercedes into sixth. Hamilton briefly found himself in danger of elimination in Q2 but delivered a hot lap that ensured a solid starting position.
Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari will line up seventh, followed by Fernando Alonso, who impressed with an eighth-place qualifying result after a last-minute surge in Q2.
Sergio Perez salvaged ninth on the grid, narrowly pushing Haas’ Kevin Magnussen into 10th by just 0.075 seconds. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly missed out on Q3, falling just 0.012 seconds short of Perez in a tightly contested Q2.
Zhou Guanyu continued to showcase the promise of Sauber’s upgrades, claiming 12th on the grid and finishing well ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, who could only manage 13th.
The opening segment of qualifying was a nail-biter, with Yuki Tsunoda squeezing into Q2 at the expense of Alex Albon. Tsunoda didn’t post any personal bests in his lap but managed to scrape past the cut-off.
Further back, rookie Liam Lawson outqualified Nico Hulkenberg, whose Haas team struggled to optimize the soft tires. Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon rounded out the field, with both failing to escape Q1.
With Verstappen back on pole and a fiercely competitive grid behind him, the Qatar Grand Prix promises a thrilling spectacle.
Can the freshly crowned world champion convert pole into a much-needed win, or will the McLarens, Mercedes, and Ferraris spoil the party? All eyes will be on Losail for the next chapter in the 2024 Formula 1 season.
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