Max Verstappen Loses Qatar GP Pole After Grid Penalty
The F1 champion was penalized for driving too slowly during qualifying, promoting George Russell to pole position.
- Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying, impeding George Russell.
- The penalty moves Mercedes driver George Russell to pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, with Verstappen starting second.
- The incident occurred during Q3 when Verstappen exceeded the maximum lap time delta while preparing for his final lap, forcing Russell to take evasive action.
- McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start from third and fourth positions, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
- McLaren leads Ferrari by 30 points in the Constructors' Championship and could secure the title early with a strong finish in Qatar.
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