Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix after receiving a one-place grid penalty following a first-place finish in Saturday’s qualifying.
The drivers’ champion originally finished ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Russell will begin in pole position for Sunday’s race with Verstappen starting second.
Verstappen was given the penalty for driving too slow during Q3, which nearly caused a collision between him and Russell. The Mercedes driver described Verstappen’s driving as “super dangerous” over team radio.
