Max Verstappen takes pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix

The Dutch Red Bull driver once again demonstrates why he is the current champion, setting an impressive 1:20.520 that places him at the front of the grid. Max will share the front row with George Russell, who led Mercedes to a solid second place. Behind them, Lando Norris sealed an excellent performance with his McLaren, securing third position.

Photo: Red Bull Racing

Today's classification revealed the incredible adjustment work carried out by Red Bull on Max Verstappen's car. After a difficult performance in the sprint race, where the Dutchman only achieved eighth place, the outlook for the team did not seem promising. However, Verstappen turned the weekend around 180 degrees, setting an impressive time that secured him pole position.

Despite this achievement, the Red Bull driver could face an investigation by the FIA ​​due to a maneuver that allegedly impeded George Russell during his fastest lap attempt. If it is determined that there was an infringement, Verstappen could receive a penalty that would alter his position on the grid.

The focus will now be on the stewards' verdict and how this could influence the order of the grid.

The qualifying session was packed with action and extreme precision, with several drivers seeing their times eliminated for exceeding track limits. From the start, Mercedes with Russell, Red Bull with Verstappen, and both McLaren and Ferrari were very competitive. The fight at the top of the table was so close that, at one point, six drivers were separated by just a tenth of a second, making clear the very high level of competition.

On the other hand, Sauber surprised with a solid performance, allowing both cars to advance to Q2, while the first eliminated were Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Nico Hülkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon, who did not manage to advance beyond the first part of the classification.

Q2 left moments of tension, including an incident in the pit lane when Carlos Sainz was dangerously released from his box, coming very close to a Mercedes that was already leaving. This moment will be reviewed by the stewards.

As for those eliminated, the competition was fierce, and Pierre Gasly was left out by just a few thousandths. Along with him, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll also said goodbye to their aspirations of advancing to Q3.

Pending possible penalties from the FIA, this is how the provisional grid is configured:

Front row: Max Verstappen and George Russell
Second row: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Third row: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Fourth row: Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso
Fifth row: Sergio Pérez and Kevin Magnussen
Sixth row: Pierre Gasly and Zhou Guanyu
Seventh row: Valtteri Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda
Eighth row: Lance Stroll and Alex Albon
Ninth row: Liam Lawson and Nico Hülkenberg
Back row: Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon

Max Verstappen returns to the top with his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix, reaffirming his dominance in a weekend that seemed complicated for Red Bull.

On the other hand, the Sauber team had an outstanding performance, achieving its best classification of the entire season with both drivers showing a solid performance that took them to Q2.