“Great start”: Verstappen secured pole in Qatar

In the floodlit qualifying on Friday north of Doha, the Dutchman in the Red Bull was clearly faster than the two Mercedes drivers George Russell (+0.441 seconds) and Lewis Hamilton (+0.527). Sergio Perez experienced another qualifying disappointment in the second Red Bull, who couldn’t get past 13th place.

For the 26-year-old Verstappen, who will start from the front in Sunday’s race (7 p.m.), it was the tenth pole this season and the 30th overall of his career. However, the World Cup leader can be crowned world champion again in the sprint on Saturday (7.30 p.m./everything live on ORF 1 and Sky). A sixth place would be enough for the defending champion, which would give him the three World Championship points he still needs. Even a bad result from Pérez, in second place in the World Cup, could be enough.

“A great start to the weekend. I’m happy and happy to be on pole. It’s difficult with the grip on the track,” said Verstappen, who also set the best time in the only training session and was already looking ahead to Saturday. “Of course I want to win the sprint. The car is fast.”

Before the short 19-lap race on Saturday, there will be a separate qualifying session in the Persian Gulf, the so-called Sprint Shootout (3 p.m.). Since Perez would also have to win the Grand Prix on Sunday from 13th place on the grid in order to postpone Verstappen’s World Cup celebration, the Dutchman can hardly be denied the early title hat-trick in the desert state. In the overall standings, Verstappen has a cushion of 177 points over Perez before the 17th of 22 races this season.

The Mexican had overshot the track barrier during his quick attempt in the second qualifying section at the Lusail International Circuit, which resulted in the Red Bull driver’s lap time being erased. The same fate befell the two McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Norris apparently drove confidently to second place in the decision, but because of the missed time the Brit had to start the race from tenth place on the grid. Piastri would have finished fourth in windy conditions with little traction and is now starting from sixth.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc came fifth behind Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari had to settle for twelfth place. AlphaTauri driver Liam Lawson didn’t get past 18th place. According to the team, the 21-year-old New Zealander will be replaced by the currently ailing regular driver Daniel Ricciardo at the US Grand Prix in Austin in two weeks. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is also due to return to the USA; the Viennese had undergone knee surgery and missed the second race weekend in a row in Qatar.