Russell Claims Pole After Verstappen Penalized in Qatar GP
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Red Bull's Verstappen drops to P2 after late-session penalty; Russell secures top spot.
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Mercedes' George Russell has clinched pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix after a dramatic twist saw Red Bull's Max Verstappen penalized for an incident during the final minutes of qualifying.
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The Red Bull driver, who had initially snatched P1 by a razor-thin 0.055-second margin, was handed a one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell on a cooldown lap.
The chaos unfolded in Q3 after Russell set the pace early, holding provisional pole. Verstappen, already a four-time world champion, delivered a stunning final lap to edge ahead. However, replays revealed Verstappen slowed significantly on his cooldown lap, causing Russell to take evasive action, prompting Race Control to investigate.
After deliberations, Verstappen’s penalty dropped him to P2, handing Russell a crucial pole position.
Lando Norris secured P3, sharing the second row with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in P4. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took P5, while Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s Mercedes teammate, settled for P6.
The top 10 rounded out with Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) in P7, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) in P8, Sergio Perez (Red Bull) in P9, and Kevin Magnussen (Haas) taking an impressive P10.
Notable eliminations included Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who narrowly missed Q3 and ended in P11. Alfa Romeo duo Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas showed promise but fell short, finishing P12 and P13, respectively. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) claimed P14, while Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) wrapped up the Q2 exits in P15.
As the grid reshuffle sets the stage for a thrilling race, fans eagerly anticipate whether Russell can hold off Verstappen’s charge or if McLaren’s resurgence will yield surprises under the desert lights.
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