Verstappen takes 30th pole position in Qatar
Max Verstappen was dominant in qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix, taking pole position for the 30th time in his career.
Max Verstappen after qualifying on pole for the Qatar Grand Prix. (Clive Mason / Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool)
Drivers and teams had limited time to prepare for qualifying on the sprint weekend and struggled with windy and dusty conditions throughout the one free practice session, but it was no challenge for Verstappen as he went fastest by almost half a second on his sole attempt in Q3.
“A great start to the weekend,” said Verstappen, who will start Sunday’s grand prix ahead of the Mercedes pairing of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
“It's quite tricky out there, you know, with the new tarmac, it still needs to rubber in.”
“Very peaky grip. So as soon as you over-push it a little bit, the rear wants to step out and stuff, but of course very happy to be on pole.
“I was happy with the balance of the car, considering the track conditions.
“Overall, a good day and more than I could have hoped for really, because it's always a bit hectic, you know, the sprint format, to after one session optimise the car.”
Verstappen holds a mighty lead on the drivers’ standings, needing just three points in Saturday’s sprint race to claim his third World Championship title.
“It doesn't really change anything,” said the Dutchman.
“I just want to have a good weekend. And of course, I know in the back of my mind that's happening, but it doesn't add any extra pressure or whatever. I just want to enjoy the weekend and try to do the best I can.”
George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton made up the top three in qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. (Clive Mason / Getty Images / Red Bull Contetn Pool)
George Russell will start alongside Verstappen on the grid, with Australian Oscar Piastri initially celebrating third place before losing the time for exceeding track limits, promoting Hamilton to third.
Lando Norris was the first to top the time sheets in Q1 but lost the time for leaving the track, with Charles Leclerc into the top spot.
With the track improving and times deleted throughout the field for track limits violations the order was rapidly changing, with Verstappen back into the lead ahead of Norris and Alonso.
Logan Sargeant, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Kevin Magnussen, and Zhou Guanyu were knocked out in Q1, with a frustrated Stroll seen throwing his steering wheel out of the car and storming back into his garage.
Hamilton was fastest by the end of Q2 as the order once again changed throughout the session, with Yuki Tsunoda eliminated by just four-thousandths of a second to Valtteri Bottas.
Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, and Nico Hulkenberg all joined Tsunoda in the drop zone, with Perez once again struggling to make the final session of qualifying despite the pace shown by his championship-leading teammate.
Verstappen went fastest in the first set of laps of Q3 with a lap of 1:23.778, ahead of Hamilton and Russell.
Lando Norris went second-fastest but his time was deleted, with the same fate for teammate Piastri who lost third place and was informed of the penalty during the on-track interview.
It promoted Russell to second and Hamilton to third, who had also set a quick lap on his first attempt and aborted his second lap after sliding in the first sector.
Pirelli tyre analysis from Friday in Qatar. (Pirelli)
“Wind, sand and a brand-new surface: this combination made it very difficult to decipher the first day at the Lusail circuit,” said Pirelli chief engineer Simone Berra.
“The conditions were predictable, but they certainly made life more complicated for everyone because very little of the acquired data was useful to prepare for the rest of the weekend.”
Focus now turns to the sprint format on Saturday, with the sprint shootout at 4pm local time (12am Sunday AEDT) before the sprint race at 8.30pm (4.30am Sunday AEDT).
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2023 Formula One World Championship - Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying
- Max Verstappen
- George Russell
- Lewis Hamilton
- Fernando Alonso
- Charles Leclerc
- Oscar Piastri (AUS)
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Valtteri Bottas
- Lando Norris
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Carlos Sainz
- Sergio Perez
- Alex Albon
- Nico Hulkenberg
- Logan Sargeant
- Lance Stroll
- Liam Lawson (NZ)
- Kevin Magnussen
- Zhou Guanyu
