A resurgent Verstappen takes pole in Qatar and Alonso returns to Q3

After the shootout qualifying and the sprint race, the drivers returned to ride in the Qatar Grand Prix to compete in the classification which constituted the starting grid for Sunday's race, which will distribute the vast majority of points during this penultimate weekend of the season.

After a first quarter without any major surprises and a second quarter Fernando Alonso He managed to get his Aston Martin back into the final with a stratospheric lap, Q3 couldn't have been more exciting, with a fantastic tie at the head of the grid.

And, after an exchange of blows in the last rounds of the session, Max Verstappenwith a rebirth Red Bulltook pole position with a time of 1:20 520 this allowed him to surpass himself George Russell for a minimum difference of 0.055s. While Lando Norrisat 0.252s, completes the top 3.

Fourth place on the grid will be for the other McLaren F1that of Oscar Piastriwho, although he could not compete with his teammate, finished in front Charles Leclerc (fifth) and Lewis Hamilton (sixth), again far from the other British driver of Mercedes. Carlos Sainzin no man's land, was seventh.

Fernando Alonso, back in Q3 and after being eliminated for the first time, finished eighth, 0.7 seconds behind the best time of the session. While Sergio Perez And Kevin Magnussen They completed the top ten in ninth and tenth position respectively.

*Summary of T1 and T2 after results and photos

2024 Qatar F1 GP Qualifying Results

2024 Qatar F1 GP First Quarter Summary

Since the light turned green, all the drivers took to the track on the soft tires to achieve a fast first lap, as traffic is usually a problem at Losail.

After the first timed laps, Verstappen took the lead in 1:21.713, ahead of the two McLarens, but three tenths ahead. Stroll and Alonso placed fourth and sixth, showing that the Aston Martin this weekend is a little more competitive, although when Mercedes and Ferrarifell back, notably thanks to Russell who climbed into first position with a time of 1:21.519.

When the drivers returned to the pits to fit a second set of fresh soft tires, Magnussen, Zhou, Colapinto, Ocon and Gasly were those in danger of being eliminated.

In the final fast laps, Russell improved further and lowered the bar to 1:21.335, with Sainz and Norris placing just behind him, but Leclerc lowered it even further to 1:21.278 which allowed him to finish Q1 in leader, with a surprising Alonso. 6th, behind Verstappen.

Behind them, everyone improved their times and there were some changes: Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Estan Ocon were finally eliminated in the first round.

2024 Qatar F1 GP First Quarter Results

2024 Qatar F1 GP Q2 Summary

Q2 also started with plenty of action on the track, in fact, before the pit lane light came on, the vast majority of cars were already in the pit lane, waiting to come out onto the track .

In the first fast laps, it was Verstappen who set the best time with a time of 1:21.085, a time which left him ahead of Russell, the two McLarens, Pérez and the Ferraris. Alonso, on his first lap, made a mistake and aborted. On the other hand, Hamilton still couldn't find the rhythm and finished ninth.

As everyone returned to the pits to put on new tires, Piastri completed a second lap on soft tires and moved up to second place, 0.036 seconds behind the Dutchman.

With the new tires, Russell moved into first place with a 1:21.084, but Verstappen returned it with a 1:21.049, while Leclerc was third, 0.058 seconds behind the four-time champion, demonstrating the great tie that existed in the front area of ​​the grid, joined by Norris with the first 1:20 of the classification in the lead (1:20.983).

Alonso played it all on one card and with a 1:21.208 he managed to enter Q3, half a second behind the best time of Q2, set by Verstappen in the last second with a 1:20.687. Magnussen was the other driver to create a surprise by finishing ninth, ahead of Pérez who miraculously escaped by 0.012 seconds.

Finally, they decreased in T2: Pierre Gasly, Guan Yuzhou, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda And Lance's Walk.

2024 Qatar F1 GP Q2 Results