Max Verstappen delivered a stunning qualifying session Saturday night at the Qatar Grand Prix, stealing pole position from favorites such as George Russell and Lando Norris. That performance ended a lengthy drought for Verstappen — who last started on pole in a Grand Prix in Austria back in July — and was a shocking turnaround from his performance in the F1 Sprint Race earlier in the day, where he finished eighth.
But he will not start there.
Verstappen has been given a one-place penalty, and assessed a penalty point, after an investigation into impeding during qualifying:
Race officials summoned Verstappen for an investigation into a potential impending incident that occurred during Q3 involving George Russell. As the Mercedes driver was beginning a push lap near the end of the session, Verstappen was right on the racing line in front of him.
You can see the incident in question here:
As noted, Russell flagged that in real time, calling it “super dangerous” from the Red Bull driver.
The summons noted that Verstappen may have been “driving unnecessarily slowly” during the qualifying session:
The standard penalty for impeding during a qualifying session is a three-place grid drop, and depending on what the race officials hear from Verstappen, the Red Bull driver might be starting a little further back on the grid when the lights go out Sunday night in Qatar.
