Picture Credit: Twitter/@F1
For those following Formula 1, interesting weeks and days lie ahead. The Championship is heading towards its climactic end with three races still to go and the first of them is set to happen later today in Qatar.
Lewis Hamilton is all set to start at the pole position ahead of his rival Max Verstappen for the all-important Qatar Grand Prix, in the context of the championship race. Hamilton produced a dominant performance in the qualifying round which shows his form heading into what could be the decisive races in this season.
In what was Formula 1's first-ever shootout at the Losail circuit, Hamilton seemed in perfect control all throughout and topped both Q1 and Q2 before going on to stretch his lead in the dying stages of the race.
As a result, Hamilton finished his final Q3 lap 0.4555s ahead of the current leader of the Championship - Verstappen. Notably, the margin of Hamilton clinching the race happens to the largest margin between the two fierce competitors in a dry qualifying season this year.
However, even this Grand Prix hasn't been without its share of drama as it was learned that Max Verstappen was handed a stewards' summons for allegedly "not respecting double waved yellow flags" at the end of qualifying.
Check out the Top 10 results of the Qatar GP qualifying here:
1st- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2nd- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3rd- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4th- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
5th- Fernando Alonso, Alpine
6th- Lando Norris, McLaren
7th- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
8th Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
9th- Esteban Ocon, Alpine
10th- Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
Driver’s Standings
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)- 332.5 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)- 318.5 points
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)- 203 points
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)- 178 points
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)- 151 points
Constructor’s Standings
Mercedes- 521.5 points
Red Bull- 510.5 points
Ferrari- 287.5 points
McLaren- 256 points
Alpine- 112 points
The Qatar GP race is set to commence at 7:30 pm (IST) at the Losail International Circuit.