Max Verstappen took pole position for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix as the indomitable Dutchman closes in on his third world title.
Verstappen will be crowned champion of the world if he finishes at least sixth in Saturday’s 19-lap race at the Lusail International Circuit.
And the Red Bull driver started his quest to become just the 11th driver in history to win the title on more than two occasions in typically irresistible fashion by clocking the fastest time in qualifying.
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATIONRussell joins Verstappen on the front row Norris and Piastri both have final lap times deleted and start P10 and P6 respectively#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/XM4wXIP5LX — Formula 1 (@F1) October 6, 2023 In terms of the championship mathematics, Verstappen’s pole lap for Sunday’s main event will be redundant if he secures three points in Saturday’s sprint – the starting order for which will be determined by a second qualifying session here on Saturday afternoon – or Sergio Perez fails finish inside the top three.