Max Verstappen beats Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to pole; Verstappen needs three points in Saturday's sprint to seal drivers' title; watch the Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Saturday before the Sprint at 6.30pm
Saturday 7 October 2023 07:25, UK
Max Verstappen took pole position for Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix in a dominant start to the event at which he appears certain to seal a third successive world championship.
Red Bull's Verstappen, who can clinch the drivers' title with just three points in either Saturday's Sprint or Sunday's full-length contest, was comfortably clear of Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in second and third, respectively.
McLaren's Lando Norris appeared to be the only driver with the pace to challenge Verstappen, but the Brit exceeded track limits on both of his Q3 flying runs to end the session without a time and in 10th.
His team-mate Oscar Piastri was initially promoted to third by Norris' demotion, but was then also found to have exceeded track limits on his final run and dropped to sixth.
Along with the Mercedes cars, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso benefitted to jump to fourth, while Charles Leclerc took fifth for Ferrari.
Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz's strong form came to an abrupt end as the Spaniard made a surprise Q2 exit to qualify 12th, while Red Bull's Sergio Perez's disappointing campaign continued as he finished a place further back.
After making a fourth successive Q1 exit, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll appeared to push away a team member as he furiously left the garage.
While Verstappen has secured pole for Sunday's race, his first chance to claim the world championship will come in Saturday's Sprint at 6:30pm, with the grid for the shortened race being set in the Sprint Shootout at 2pm, all live on Sky Sports F1.
Qatar GP Qualifying result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) George Russell, Mercedes
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
6) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
10) Lando Norris, McLaren
Despite Verstappen having topped the sole practice session of the Sprint event earlier on Friday, several factors meant plenty of uncertainty remained heading into qualifying.
The change of conditions from day to night between the sessions meant teams couldn't be sure of the effectiveness of their setups, while the lack of grid on the new and sand-covered surface at the windy Losail International Circuit added another layer of difficulty.
However, as has been the case with almost everything thrown at him this season, Verstappen was more than equal to it.
The Dutchman, who turned 26 last weekend, displayed his maturity to navigate the first two parts of the session.
When it came to Q3, it was ultimately Verstappen's opening 'banker' lap that proved more than enough to seal his 10th pole position of the season.
An error on his second attempt proved irrelevant, with the triumph ensuring that if anything were to go wrong in Saturday's Sprint, Verstappen is perfectly placed to seal the title on Sunday.
"Great start to the weekend," Verstappen said. "It's quite tricky out there with the new tarmac. It still needs to rubber in. Very peaky grip. As soon as you over push, the rear steps out.
"Of course, very happy to be on pole, it's been a good day for us."
Norris, who has spearheaded McLaren's resurgence during the second half of the season, appeared to be the only driver capable of coming close to Verstappen's speed.
However, errors on both flying laps saw him lose two times that would have been good enough for second.
The difficulty of the conditions was further highlighted by his team-mate Piastri also losing a lap that was good enough for third.
Meanwhile, Hamilton made a mistake on his final quick lap to miss out on the chance to take second.
The rapidly improving surface ensured plenty of excitement during Q1 and Q2, with Sainz the surprise casualty.
The in-form Spaniard, who became the first non-Red Bull driver to win a race this season by claiming victory in Singapore last month, made an uncharacteristic error.
After running wide at Turn 4, Sainz was then unable to find sufficient improvement as he attempted another flying lap in the closing moments, resulting in an early elimination.
Less surprising was the exit of Perez, who failed to make it through to Q3 for the eighth time this season, driving the same car as the dominant Verstappen.
On this occasion, the Mexican did have the pace to advance, but also exceeded track limits on his final flying lap to deliver a performance that will only fuel speculation over whether he will be allowed to see out the final year of his contract with Red Bull.
Another driver whose future in F1 appears to be increasingly uncertain is Aston Martin's Stroll.
His run of four successive Q3 exits, which has been made to look worse by team-mate Alonso having reached Q3 on each of those occasions, was only exacerbated by a display of petulance after exiting the car.
Stroll pushed past his performance coach Henry Howe, and then appeared to shove his colleague again as they disappeared out of sight at the back of the garage.
While the 24-year-old Canadian appears to have a seat at Aston Martin for as long as he wants it given his father Lawrence owns the team, his recent performances raise questions over whether he retains the desire to compete at motorsport's top level.
Will Max Verstappen wrap up his third world championship at the first attempt at the Qatar GP? Watch every session of the Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1. Stream F1 and more with NOW for £21 a month for six months
