Max Verstappen’s pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix was revoked after the Red Bull driver received a one-place grid penalty for blocking Mercedes’ George Russell during Saturday’s qualifying session.
The controversy arose as Verstappen, preparing his tires at reduced speed before a flying lap, was unexpectedly approached by Russell in the fast, triple-right sequence of Turns 12-14 at the Lusail International Circuit.
Russell had to slam on the brakes to prevent a collision, narrowly avoiding disaster by dipping a wheel into the gravel outside Turn 12. The Mercedes driver described the situation as “super dangerous” over the team radio. The stewards reviewed the incident, examining the actions of both drivers. They determined that Verstappen had breached race director guidelines by driving excessively slowly on the racing line and outside of his designated delta time.
After the review, Stewart’s statement read: “Car 1 [Verstappen] was on a different preparation strategy than that of Car 63 [Russell]. Car 1 was well outside of the delta and the driver of Car 1 explained he had let Cars 4 and 14 pass.”
“The driver of Car 63 claimed that he had adhered to the delta and did not expect Car 1 to be on the racing line. I have stated that if a car was going slow in a high-speed corner, it should not be on the racing line. The Stewards regard this case as a complicated one in that clearly Car 1 did not comply with the Race Director’s Event Notes and clearly was driving, in our determination, unnecessarily slowly considering the circumstances.”
Verstappen faces a one-place grid penalty following an incident with George Russell during the final part of qualifying in Qatar.
Read the full story 📝👇#F1 #QatarGP https://t.co/jed7jAIkxU
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 30, 2024
The report also noted that Verstappen was cooling his tires and had been aware of Russell’s approach, having checked his mirrors several times. Although the stewards found Verstappen at fault, they decided to impose a reduced penalty given the specific circumstances.
The Dutchman will start alongside Russell on the front row, with McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in third and fourth positions, respectively.
Lando Norris hands Oscar Piastri Qatar sprint win
Oscar Piastri secured a McLaren one-two in the Qatar GP Sprint, with Lando Norris dramatically allowing his teammate through on the final lap, repaying the favor from Brazil.
Norris took the lead from the start and looked poised to secure his second Sprint victory of the season before slowing down near the finish line to allow Piastri to pass, honoring a similar, though less dramatic, gesture from the Australian in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint earlier in November.
Bringing home the final Sprint points of the season 💪#F1Sprint #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/WzPf3IQzep
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 30, 2024
The move was risky, as Mercedes’ George Russell was right behind, but Norris executed it successfully, ensuring McLaren secured maximum points and increased their Constructors’ Championship lead over Ferrari to 30 points ahead of Sunday’s race. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc minimized the impact by finishing fourth and fifth for Ferrari, with Leclerc dramatically overtaking Lewis Hamilton on lap 13 after losing position to the Mercedes at the start.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
