Newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen secured a shock pole place for tomorrow’s Qatar Grand Prix, pipping Mercedes racer George Russell. F1Technical’s lead journalist Balazs Szabo studies on the closely-matched principal qualifying from Qatar.
Following a low-key exhibiting in Qatar F1 Dash, Max Verstappen bounced again with an eye catching efficiency in the principle qualifying for tomorrow’s Qatar Grand Prix. The newly-crowned four-time world champion seemed sturdy from the get-go, with Crimson Bull having made a number of tweaks to his RB following the dash race.
The Dutchman wanted a fast lap within the dying seconds of Q3 to beat George Russell, which he was capable of ship to safe his first pole place for the reason that Austrian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes racer seemed the dominant drive via the primary two qualifying segments, however he was unable to search out any enhancements on his closing lap, however he nonetheless ended up on the entrance row of the grid, mimicking his end result from the dash qualifying.
Though Lando Norris was the star of dash qualifying and the dash race, he by no means seemed as assured as earlier through the weekend. The Briton took third, together with his team-mate Oscar Piastri finishing an all-McLaren second row.
Ferrari had been anticipated to battle on the Lusail Worldwide Circuit, however a fifth place for Charles Leclerc and a seventh spot for Carlos Sainz imply that the Scuderia would possibly dream of getting within the battle for the rostrum locations.
Three drivers, three groups… three contenders for victory on Sunday?#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/kLU1b3DfAh
— System 1 (@F1) November 30, 2024
Lewis Hamilton seemed sturdy within the dash race, however he struggled once more for one-lap tempo, ending up sixth on the grid.
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso confirmed his automobile’s encouraging efficiency with a powerful eighth place, forward of Sergio Perez, who loved a way more promising efficiency after his early exit in SQ1 yesterday.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen delivered one other spectacular efficiency to take tenth for the beginning of tomorrow’s 57-lap race which might be important tomorrow, with Haas and Alpine locked in a fierce battle for sixth place within the groups’ standings.
The Q2 session was extraordinarily closely-matched. Pierre Gasly was pissed off not to have the ability to make it out of Q2, ending in P11, adopted by the Kick Sauber duo of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas. RB driver Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll rounded out the highest 15.
Williams endured a tricky qualifying session, with Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto failing to make it out of Q3, and they’re going to line up sixteenth and nineteenth on the grid tomorrow. Liam Lawson ended up seventeenth quickest, forward of Nico Hulkenberg, who endured a shock early elimination after his stellar efficiency within the dash race.
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