F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Race reaction as Verstappen vents fury at Russell after penalty drama
F1 race reaction as Verstappen wins in Qatar and Lando Norris drops down the field after a late penalty
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Your support makes all the difference.Max Verstappen followed up securing his fourth world championship by winning a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered another miserable evening in his penultimate Mercedes appearance.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton was penalised twice by the stewards and said his car was “broken” as he finished down in 12th spot in a race which saw Verstappen claim a dominant win.
Lando Norris had been on course to finish runner-up, but he was dealt a severe 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow under waved yellows, dropping him to 10th.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took advantage of Norris’ demise to take second place, six seconds behind Verstappen, and one spot ahead of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. Russell finished fourth.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz after qualifying sixth:
“It was tricky, we were still three-tenths off on pole, I missed a tow on the last lap, I think it’s more or less where we expected to be. The car is not at its best on a track like this.
“We need to keep it under control tomorrow, we’re still in that fight, there’ll be a lot going on.”
Constructors’ Championship ahead of Qatar Grand Prix:
1. McLaren - 623 points
2. Ferrari - 593 points
3. Red Bull Racing - 556 points
4. Mercedes - 434 points
5. Aston Martin - 86 points
6. Haas - 52 points
7. Alpine - 49 points
8. RB - 46 points
9. Williams - 17 points
10. Sauber - 0 points
Lewis Hamilton admits he is ‘definitely not fast enough anymore’ after latest qualifying setback
Lewis Hamilton believes he is “definitely not fast enough anymore” after enduring another disappointing qualifying performance ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.
In what is Hamilton’s penultimate weekend as a Mercedes driver before his switch to Ferrari, he qualified seventh for the sprint race at the Lusail International Circuit.
He recorded a time 0.399 seconds slower than teammate George Russell, who will start the race in second behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Full piece below:
Hamilton admits he is ‘definitely not fast enough anymore’
Hamilton qualified seventh for the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix - yet another disappointing result in his final season at Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton says he ‘doesn’t care’ after sprint race
“I don’t have an answer,” he said when asked if they had learned anything to help them in the race.
“At this point. I really don’t care. I just want to get through these next couple of races and do my job, turn up and looking forward to the winter break.
“I woke up this morning, and I think the most important thing is to leave with gratitude. So I’m really, really grateful that I get to do what I love doing, even when there are days that I don’t love it as much, and I’m really, really so lucky to be here amongst all these other amazing athletes.”
Driver Standings ahead of the Qatar GP:
1. Max Verstappen - 404 points (champion)
2. Lando Norris - 347 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 323 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 276 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 264 points
6. George Russell - 223 points
7. Lewis Hamilton - 211 points
8. Sergio Perez - 152 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 62 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 37 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda - 30 points
12. Pierre Gasly - 26 points
13. Lance Stroll - 24 points
14. Esteban Ocon - 23 points
15. Kevin Magnussen - 14 points
16. Alex Albon - 12 points
17. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
18. Ollie Bearman - 7 points
19. Franco Colapinto - 5 points
20. Liam Lawson - 4 points
21. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
22. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
23. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points
Lando Norris after qualifying P3...
“Not a surprise at all. When have they ever been bad all season?
“I think we can (fight for the win). As a qualifying car, we’re a little bit off. But I’m hoping it comes back to us in the race. “
Max Verstappen stripped of pole position
Explaining their decision, the stewards said Max Verstappen was “driving unnecessarily slowly considering the circumstances” as he “attempted to cool his tyres” ahead of the lap in which he claimed pole.
BREAKING: Max Verstappen stripped of pole position
Mercedes driver George Russell has been promoted to pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was penalised one place for impeding his rival, the FIA has announced.
Explaining their decision, the stewards said Max Verstappen was “driving unnecessarily slowly considering the circumstances” as he “attempted to cool his tyres” ahead of the lap in which he claimed pole.
What time is the Qatar Grand Prix?
Time GMT
Sunday 1 December
- Race: 4pm
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Max Verstappen after finishing on pole...
“Crazy! I did not expect that, well done to the team to give me a car which feels a bit more connected. I felt a lot better about there.
“We changed a bit on the car but I never thought it would make such a swing in performance. It felt a lot more stable over one lap. Very happy to be on pole, it’s been a while.
“It’s going to be a tough race physically and on the tyres. It’s all about managing that. It’s all very close behind, they were all quick.”
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