Only a few hours after the end of the Sprint race, Max Verstappen claimed pole position in the F1 Quali 2024 Qatar GP, outpacing Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris in a thrilling Q3 session.
While Verstappen’s late flying lap proved unbeatable, Russell’s impressive pace throughout qualifying placed him on the front row in P2. Norris, despite battling traffic, managed a P3 start, ensuring McLaren remains a key contender.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz locked out the second row in P4 and P5, as their championship hopes remain alive. The stage is set for an intense battle under the desert sun tomorrow.
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Q1: Russell Shines Early
George Russell queued at the front of the pit exit, eager to catch some clean air and pick up the slack that Lewis has left over the weekend. The Haas of Kevin Magnussen set the first time of Q1 with a 1:23.554 which was quickly knocked down by the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll by over a second. A surprising burst of pace for the Aston Martin team.
Carlos Sainz’s first Q1 stint was short lived on his scrubbed tyres and came into the pits after a few laps. Both Williams cars of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto had their lap times deleted due to track limits, furthering the struggles of the lower field team. Russell continued to impress, with his pace being 0.2 seconds ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen at the start of Q1.
Final Moments and Eliminations in Q1
Verstappen, for the first time in a while, also reported his contentment with the balance of his RB20. Kevin Magnussen suffered a rather large snap of oversteer into turn four on one of his flying laps. This raised concerns among the Haas team over the floor of Magnussen’s car but was ultimately OK.
Lando Norris suffered a last-minute lap deletion for track limits. Meanwhile, George Russell offered struggling Lewis Hamilton a tow in the hopes of improving his time. As the chequered flag came down for Q1, Russell clinched the fastest lap.
The bottom five eliminees included Albon, Lawson, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, and Ocon.
Q2: Close Margins at the Top
Russell’s eagerness persisted as he was once again the first to take to the track. He displayed an impressive performance in Q2 with consistent, blistering purple sectors.
Verstappen quickly took the top spot from Russell, setting a 1:21.085, an impressive time to try and beat. Red Bull stuck some fresh soft tyres onto the four-time champion’s car for Q2, ready to amp up the pace. Pierre Gasly continued his impressive streak, placing his car well into the top ten throughout the early stages of the session.
Final Q2 Push and Eliminations
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was noted for an unsafe release, nearly making contact with Lewis Hamilton behind. George Russell took merely a sliver off of Verstappen’s top time, setting a lap just one thousandth quicker. Max quickly regained this spot, pushing the gap a little further.
Zhou Guanyu just barely missed a monumental Q3 entrance, however, displayed some impressive pace for Sauber. Verstappen set the benchmark time of Q2, producing a 1:20.687. Unfortunately, Gasly, Zhou, Bottas, Tsunoda, and Stroll did not see the start of Q3.
Q3: Verstappen Gets Comfortable
Once again, George Russell was the very first to enter the track. The race for pole was on for McLaren if they were going to keep their provisional constructors championship. Kevin Magnussen set the first flying lap time of a 1:21.500 on his scrubbed softs.
Fernando Alonso also suffered the track limits sanctions and had a lap deleted. Russell continued to fly, setting an impressive 1:20.587, just a couple tenths off of Verstappen’s fastest Q2 lap. Lots of traffic proved to be a problem for Norris while attempting his flying laps. With one minute remaining, the top ten drivers scrambled for some clear air to lock in the best time possible.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen managed to pull pole position out of the bag in the final minute of Q3, after five months of the last one. George Russell finished second, and Lando Norris third very close behind.
The grid is now set after qualifying for the F1 2024 Qatar GP. Lights out for the main race is tomorrow at 16:00 GMT.
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