QATAR — Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was in his usual form during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday, edging out Mercedes’ drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to take pole position at Losail International Circuit.
The reigning Formula 1 champion set a fast lap of 1 minute, 23.778 seconds.
“I’m very happy to be on pole. The tarmac was quite slippery so I was really having to build up lap after lap, but I think we were in a good window and we were improving quite nicely through each run,” Verstappen said. “Tomorrow will be interesting, with the different session times and temperatures, but let’s see what we can do.”
Russell was clocked at 1 minute, 24.219 seconds, while Hamilton’s best time was 1 minute, 24.305 seconds.
“It’s great to have Lewis (Hamilton) behind me in P3 now. We can be strategic and work together. We’ve got our sights set on a strong result on Sunday, especially with both the McLarens and the Ferraris behind us. We know we’re going to have a fight on our hands as they will be quick,” Russell said.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the top five.