Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who created a surprise by taking pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix this Saturday, was penalized by the stewards and will finally start in second position on Sunday behind George Russell (Mercedes). The Dutchman drove too slowly and hampered the Briton who was preparing his final fast lap at the end of the third part of qualifying, and was penalized one place on the starting grid.
A reduced penalty
The Mercedes driver, who finished second just 55 thousandths of a second behind Verstappen, will therefore start at the head of the 23rd Grand Prix of the season on Sunday evening on the Losail circuit. “ Car #1 (Max Verstappen) was driving far too slowly given the circumstances. Although it was obvious he was trying to cool his tires, he saw car #63 (George Russell) coming because he looked in his mirrors several times », Explain the commissioners.
READ ALSO. The starting grid for the Qatar Grand Prix: Verstappen penalized, George Russell in the lead
« Neither car was on a fast lap and if the #63 had been, the penalty would likely have been the usual penalty of three places on the grid. But the reason why the penalty is less is that car #63 had good visibility of car #1 and the two cars were not on a fast lap », they conclude.
