Verstappen Nabs Pole In Qatar As Perez Out In Q2 And Both McLarens Demoted Due To Track Limits Violations

Max Verstappen clinched pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix in a thrilling qualifying session, but it was not without drama. Lando Norris, who initially secured a front-row start, had his lap deleted due to track limits, dropping him to the tenth spot as well as the other McLaren of the rookie Oscar Piastri. Most notable of all was Verstappen’s stablemate, Sergio Perez, who was knocked out in Q2 once again as his poor qualifying form continued.  

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The Qatar Grand Prix's unique format splits qualifying into three segments, and this session determined Sunday's race grid, having no impact on Saturday's sprint event. Verstappen set the early pace with a time of 1m26.884s, but this was soon surpassed by Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin at 1m26.715s, followed by Charles Leclerc's Ferrari at 1m26.444s. Unfortunately, Lando Norris's impressive 1m26.043s lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

As the track conditions improved, Alonso regained the lead with a time of 1m25.685s on his first set of tires. Leclerc then reset the bar with a time of 1m25.452s on a second set of tires, only for Norris to snatch the top spot with a time of 1m25.131s. However, Verstappen ultimately outshone them all with a blistering time of 1m25.007s.

In Q1, Logan Sargeant was edged out by his teammate Alex Albon by a mere 0.092 seconds, further increasing the pressure on the American, who has been on the unfortunate end of a one-sided qualifying battering from his teammate. 

Lance Stroll, who has struggled in recent qualifying sessions, was 1.1 seconds slower than Alonso, marking his fourth consecutive Q1 elimination. Stroll displayed his intense frustration following his elimination, revealing his emotions in the garage after exiting the car. His disdain was evident during his post-qualifying interview as well with F1TV, his initial response included strong language, necessitating a censoring of expletives.

 Q1 saw Logan Sargeant, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Kevin Magnussen, and Zhou Guanyu eliminated from contention.

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In Q2, Verstappen initially set the pace with a time of 1m24.758s, but the fresh-tired McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Norris pushed him back to third. Verstappen later reclaimed the top position with a time of 1m24.483s, but Lewis Hamilton secured P1 in the closing moments.

The Q2 eliminations included Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, and Nico Hulkenberg.

In Q3, Verstappen initially set the pace with a time of 1m23.778s, half a second ahead of Hamilton. Norris lost his first flying lap due to track limits but ultimately secured second place. However, his lap time was deleted after he ran wide at Turn 10, promoting George Russell to the front row. Piastri, despite initially qualifying third, was also penalised for track limits and will start sixth for both races.

The Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, and Norris rounded out the top ten.