Bréaking: F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Race starting grid with penalties applied…Read more
F1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Race starting grid with penalties applied
Lando Norris will start on pole for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Race at the Lusail International Circuit after leading a strong performance for McLaren in sprint qualifying.
Norris clocked a time of 1:21.012, securing the top spot, while his teammate Oscar Piastri also impressed, ensuring both McLarens outpaced their Ferrari rivals.
George Russell of Mercedes managed to split the McLaren duo by qualifying second, just 0.063 seconds behind Norris, with Piastri third, 0.159 seconds off the leader.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will start fourth and fifth, respectively, showing consistent speed but unable to match McLaren’s pace.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen endured a disappointing qualifying session, finishing sixth and over three-tenths of a second behind Norris.
Verstappen, however, remains the most successful driver in 2024 sprint races, having won four earlier events in China, Miami, Austria, and Austin.
Norris is the most recent sprint race winner, having triumphed in Brazil.
Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s Mercedes teammate, will start from seventh place, followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in eighth.
Nico Hulkenberg of Haas qualified ninth, while rookie Liam Lawson in the VCARB rounded out the top ten.
Further down the order, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will start 11th, ahead of Williams driver Alex Albon in 12th and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas in 13th.
Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, and Sergio Perez occupy positions 14th to 16th, with Perez’s disappointing qualifying adding to his recent struggles.
He was eliminated in SQ1 and will begin the sprint from 16th, well below expectations for a Red Bull driver.
The bottom four spots on the grid include VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda in 17th, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 18th, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu in 19th, and Franco Colapinto of Williams at the back in 20th place.
The Sprint Race begins at 5 p.m. local time in Qatar. This is equivalent to 3 p.m. CET, 2 p.m. BST for the United Kingdom, 9 a.m. EDT for the eastern United States, and 6 a.m. PDT for the western United States.
The session promises intense action, with Norris aiming to convert his pole into victory while Verstappen and Red Bull look to recover from a challenging start to the weekend.
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