Yesterday finally saw a pole position for Max Verstappen, although the celebration was short-lived for the Dutchman. The Red Bull driver was penalized for impeding George Russell during the qualifying for the Qatar GP, losing the top spot to the Brit. Verstappen will pull out all the stops to reclaim that first position right from the first turn.
So, the first starting row features Russell and Verstappen. The mirrors of this duo are colored orange due to the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri filling the second row. During the sprint race, the Woking-based team managed a one-two finish.
Then follow the usual suspects Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz. But behind them are a few drivers we don’t often see in the top ten; Fernando Alonso (P8), Sergio Pérez (P9), and Kevin Magnussen (P10). This must feel like a relief for the Mexican, considering he last stood among the top ten in Austin.
Opportunities for Stake?
The second half of the grid was very close in qualifying, with only 1.2 seconds difference between the 10th and 20th positions! This led to some surprises, such as with the Stake F1 team. Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas are at P12 and P13, and with a bit of luck, they could score points today. This would be a huge boost for the team that is currently at the bottom of the constructors’ championship with zero points.
The Qatar Grand Prix starts today at 15:00 UTC.
