Max Verstappen beats Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to pole; Verstappen needs three points in Saturday’s sprint to win the drivers’ title; watch the Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Saturday before the Sprint at 6.30pm
Last updated: 06/23/10 7:43 PM
Max Verstappen took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday in a dominant start to the event, where he looks certain to clinch a third consecutive world title.
Red Bull’s Verstappen, who can clinch the drivers’ title with just three points in Saturday’s sprint or Sunday’s full race, remained comfortably ahead of Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in second and third place respectively.
McLaren’s Lando Norris appeared to be the only driver with the pace to challenge Verstappen, but the Briton exceeded track limits on both his Q3 runs and finished the session with no time and in 10th place.
His teammate Oscar Piastri was initially promoted to third place due to Norris’s demotion, but was then found to have also exceeded the track limits during his final run and dropped to sixth place.
Along with the Mercedes cars, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso benefited by jumping to fourth, while Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari.
The strong form of Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz came to an abrupt end as the Spaniard made a surprise exit from Q2 to qualify 12th, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez’s disappointing season continued as he finished one place further back.
After exiting Q1 for the fourth time in a row, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll appeared to push a team member away as he left the garage in anger.
While Verstappen has secured pole for Sunday’s race, his first chance to claim the world championship will be Saturday’s Sprint at 6:30 PM, with the grid for the shortened race set at 2:00 PM in the Sprint Shootout, all live on Sky Sports F1.
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 schedule
| Director | 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 | Alps | +0.775 |
| 8. Esteban Ocon | Alps | +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 | Hare | 1:25,783 |
| Out in Q1 | ||
| 16. Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:26,210 |
| 17. Lance walk | Aston Martin | 1:26,345 |
| 18. Kevin Magnussen | Hare | 1:26,635 |
| 19. Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri | 1:27,046 |
| 20.Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:27,432 |
Will Max Verstappen complete 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 per month for six months
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