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.
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Lando Norris after qualifying P3...
“Not the position we were hoping for but the maximum we could do, for sure. My lap was pretty good but just not quick enough.
“Everyone saw how close it was between all of us, not a lot in it! We showed good racepace today, I was in clean air, but I expect a tougher race tomorrow.”
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: TOP-10 IN QUALIFYING
1. Max Verstappen - 1:20:520
2. George Russell - +0.055
3. Lando Norris - +0.252
4. Oscar Piastri - +0.309
5. Charles Leclerc - +0.332
6. Lewis Hamilton - +0.491
7. Carlos Sainz - +0.521
8. Fernando Alonso - +0.731
9. Sergio Perez - +0.905
10. Kevin Magnussen - +0.980
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Max Verstappen on pole position!
Max Verstappen claims pole! By less than a tenth to George Russell!
Bit of a shock and a turnaround from earlier today! His first pole since Austria in June!
3-10: Norris, Piastri, Leclerc, Hamilton, Sainz, Alonso, Perez, Magnussen
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Norris backs off again!
Confirmed: Norris will just have one more shot then!
Final quali laps coming right up here!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Max Verstappen goes P2!
Verstappen goes quicker ahead of the final laps, to go second, just half-a-tenth down on Russell...
And Norris is actually going to go for two hot laps here!
4:00 to go in Q3...
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: George Russell on provisional pole!
Russell sets the timesheet alight, to go fastest by three-tenths to Charles Leclerc - with Lewis Hamilton in third!
4-10: Sainz, Piastri, Magnussen, Perez, Verstappen, Norris, Alonso
Lando Norris opted to dive into the pits on his hot lap after almost losing it at turn 5! He’ll only have one more chance for pole...
6:00 to go in Q1...
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Q3 underway!
Time for the top-10 shootout - who will be on pole position in Qatar?!
10 drivers involved: Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, Alonso, Magnussen
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Sergio Perez just sneaks through!
Perez is through by 0.012 seconds to Pierre Gasly!
Lewis Hamilton was P5 in the end!
Bottom-five and out in Q2 (11-15): Gasly, Zhou, Bottas, Tsunoda, Stroll
Top-3: Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Lewis Hamilton can’t improve
Hamilton stays in ninth after his second lap - will he need to go quicker?
Possibly so.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Bottas, Zhou, Tsunoda, Stroll, Alonso
Top-3: Norris, Verstappen, Russell
3:00 to go in Q2...
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Fernando Alonso has a lap deleted
For exceeding track limits, Alonso’s lap is deleted - and he is P15 as a result.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Bottas, Zhou, Tsunoda, Stroll, Alonso
Lewis Hamilton not safe yet in P9, while Pierre Gasly impresses in P6 for Alpine!
7:00 to go in Q2...
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