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Max Verstappen’s pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix has been dramatically overturned following a penalty for impeding Mercedes driver George Russell during qualifying.
The ruling shifts Russell to pole and drops Verstappen to second after a tense exchange at Turn 12, where Verstappen’s slow driving forced Russell off the track and into the gravel.
Verstappen, who had secured pole by a narrow 0.055 seconds over Russell, was penalized for driving unnecessarily slowly and breaching the required target times.
The incident, which occurred during a non-flying lap for both drivers, saw Russell struggle to keep his tires in the optimal operating window, directly affecting his performance on the final lap.
The stewards concluded that Verstappen had deliberately slowed down to cool his tires while fully aware that Russell was approaching.
“It was obvious [Verstappen] was attempting to cool his tyres,” the stewards said in their ruling.
“He also could see [Russell] approaching as he looked in his mirror multiple times while on the small straight between Turns 11 and 12.”
Russell had been on provisional pole after the first runs.
“I expected to improve on the second lap and had a scrappy out lap, nearly had the collision with Max and went into the gravel two corners before I started it.”
The time was in the car, but as soon as I went into Turn One the car and tyres just didn’t feel right, and I was in the gravel two corners before I started my lap. It was a shame it ended that way.”
Verstappen’s performance was a however, a recovery from a disappointing sprint session, where the Red Bull had struggled with balance and grip, finishing in eighth.
The Dutchman credited his team’s adjustments for the improved car setup: “Crazy. Honestly, I didn’t expect that. Well done to the team to give me a car that feels a bit more connected… Once the car is more together you can push a lot harder.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished third, praised his team’s efforts but acknowledged the challenge of catching up with the front runners.
“Not the position we were hoping for after yesterday and today, but the maximum we could do,” Norris said.
“The lap was pretty good. I was pretty happy with it but just not quick enough compared to the others. We showed good race pace today.”
In the midst of the drama, McLaren could still clinch the Constructors’ Championship if they finish one-two in the race and take the fastest lap.
Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took sixth, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who had a challenging season, managed an encouraging eighth-place start.
For Sergio Perez, it was a better day after his dismal sprint performance, where he was passed by a Williams at the start.
However, the Mexican was still a distant 0.905 seconds off Verstappen’s original pole time, casting further doubt on his future with Red Bull.
