Verstappen Loses Qatar Pole After Dangerous Slow-Driving Incident with Russell
Max Verstappen has been stripped of pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix after a qualifying incident with George Russell, receiving a one-place grid penalty that promotes Russell to pole position.
The incident occurred during Q3 when Verstappen slowed significantly to create a gap, forcing Russell to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Russell described Verstappen's driving as "super dangerous" before overtaking him to start his lap.
The stewards investigated Verstappen for "driving unnecessarily slowly" and issued their decision three hours after qualifying. The penalty was limited to one grid position, rather than the usual three places, because:
- Both drivers had clear visibility of each other
- Neither driver was on a push lap at the time
- Verstappen was attempting to cool his tires
- Russell was able to see Verstappen clearly
Two F1 drivers talking trackside
The stewards noted that Verstappen failed to comply with the race director's event notes and was driving unnecessarily slowly given the circumstances. The penalty includes one penalty point, bringing Verstappen's 12-month total to six.
This marks Verstappen's second consecutive pole position affected by penalties, following his grid drop in Belgium for exceeding power unit components. His last official pole position remains from the Austrian Grand Prix in June.
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