Event: Qatar F1 Grand Prix
Track: Losail International Circuit
Weather: dry 18.5°C
Tarmac: dry 21.6°C
Humidity : 59.0%
Wind: 6.4 km/h South
Max Verstappen qualified as quickest for the 41st time in his F1 career and scored pole position for Sunday's third Qatar Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver will start from P1 for the second time in Qatar. It's his 9th pole this season. It was the 105th pole for the Red Bull Racing team.
Verstappen Reclaims Form with Stunning Lap
After a season filled with ups and downs, Verstappen returned to form by clocking a 1:20.520, just half a tenth quicker than Russell. The Dutchman’s achievement came after a strategic setup change that transformed Red Bull’s performance, giving Verstappen the confidence to push harder.
“It’s been a while since I felt this connected to the car,” Verstappen shared. “A big thanks to the team for their hard work.”
However, Verstappen’s evening wasn’t without controversy. A tense moment during out-laps saw him appear to impede Russell, raising questions about potential penalties, though Race Control only noted him for a minor delta time infringement.
Mercedes Shines as Russell Impresses Again
George Russell continued his recent run of strong qualifying performances, placing his Mercedes on the front row for the fourth consecutive time. Russell described his first flying lap as “one of the best I’ve ever done,” but a near-collision with Verstappen in the closing moments might have cost him a shot at pole.
Teammate Lewis Hamilton starts sixth, with the seven-time champion admitting that qualifying has been his Achilles’ heel this season despite promising race pace.
McLaren Locks Out the Second Row
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start third and fourth, respectively, solidifying McLaren’s resurgence. Norris expressed mixed feelings about his lap, noting, “I’m happy with my performance but not the result. We’ll aim to move forward tomorrow.”
Fresh off a Sprint race victory earlier in the day, Piastri will look to build on McLaren’s growing momentum as they aim to fend off Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.
Mixed Fortunes for Ferrari and Aston Martin
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fifth, while Carlos Sainz managed seventh. The Scuderia showed flashes of speed but couldn’t quite match the front-runners. Team principal Laurent Mekies hinted at potential strategic opportunities for the race, especially with high tyre degradation expected.
Fernando Alonso gave Aston Martin a much-needed boost, qualifying eighth and eyeing the team’s first points since Singapore. Meanwhile, teammate Lance Stroll struggled and will start 15th.
Midfield Battle Intensifies
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen delivered a standout performance to secure ninth, while Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10 after a tumultuous weekend. Pierre Gasly narrowly missed Q3, qualifying 11th, while Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu also put in respectable efforts.
Williams’ Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon were eliminated in Q1, with Colapinto citing difficulties adapting to the circuit’s layout.
Key Storylines for the Race
The stage is set for a thrilling Grand Prix, with four teams—Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari—closely matched at the front. Tyre management will be critical, and McLaren appears to have a slight edge in race pace. Verstappen, however, will be eager to capitalize on his pole position and return to the top step of the podium.
Lights out is scheduled for 19:00 local time (16:00 UTC). Don’t miss what promises to be an electrifying penultimate race of the 2024 season!
The pole position lap time for the last GP in 2021 was a 1:20.827 min set by Lewis Hamilton with the Mercedes W12.
Quali Times 2024 Qatar F1 GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:21.579 | 1:20.687 | 1:20.520 | 22 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:21.241 | 1:21.069 | 1:20.575 | 28 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:21.578 | 1:20.983 | 1:20.772 | 22 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:21.821 | 1:21.121 | 1:20.829 | 22 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:21.278 | 1:21.000 | 1:20.852 | 26 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:21.637 | 1:21.095 | 1:21.011 | 27 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:21.447 | 1:21.199 | 1:21.041 | 26 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:21.608 | 1:21.208 | 1:21.251 | 19 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:21.675 | 1:21.425 | 1:21.425 | 22 |
| 10 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:21.891 | 1:21.387 | 1:21.500 | 26 |
| 11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:21.843 | 1:21.437 | 18 | |
| 12 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | 1:22.103 | 1:21.501 | 19 | |
| 13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | 1:21.927 | 1:21.731 | 19 | |
| 14 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:22.364 | 1:21.771 | 16 | |
| 15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:22.011 | 1:21.911 | 14 | |
| 16 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:22.390 | 9 | ||
| 17 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:22.411 | 10 | ||
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:22.442 | 10 | ||
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams | 1:22.594 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:22.714 | 10 |
✅ Don't forget to check out our 2024 Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix Preview.
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So Max gets a 1 place grid penalty, im pretty sure he wont be bothered one bit lol
Checo finally reached Q3 for a change, but what a qualifying by Max.
Ocon will probably be the outright slowest on average in the race as well.
With Hulkenberg, on the other hand, something must've been wrong with the car, especially considering that KMag reached Q3.
Alonso also had a decent qualifying for a change.
I didn't expect any grid penalty for Max, though.
Good to see both McLarens together on the second row of the grid, which should convert into a good haul of points for the WCC.
I don't believe George being promoted to pole will change the end result. The Flying Dutchman will be first to greet the chequered flag! Checo may seek solace by making a rare appearance in Q3, however, he is almost 1 second off Max's time in an identical car.
Ferrari seem a bit off the one lap pace, although they usually have good race pace. Let's hope the pit wall doesn't stuff it up with bad strategy again!
I will get it in early , todays race 19 pupils and one Master, oh yeah and Mcls the fastest car? mmmmm they might want to rework those comments
Max can certainly turn it on, I follow Russel but I don't like snitches & I don't think Max does, sometimes it pays to bite your tongue & let things ride, he'll learn.
The stewards have been weaponized in favor of British drivers. It's time to clean house and replace all of them.
P.S. Russell didn't win a damn thing
P.S.S. Verstappen still won poll position.
P.S.S.S. What a chicken-turnd, woke group the FIA are.
Anthony Davidson got it in for Max is it because he works for Mercedes.
Moral of the story'dont upset Max'feel a little sorry for Lewis though.
Oh come on , shes won the DHL whinger of the year award with a record 73 whines, the past 2 races shes outdone herself Total World Class, and before anyone says anything shes allegedly the best driver in the world (Said Fred V while checking her contract again for clauses)
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