
McLaren lock out front row as Verstappen closes in on title in Qatar Sprint Shootout
F1 News
McLaren lock out front row as Verstappen closes in on title in Qatar Sprint Shootout

McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris made amends for a poor Friday by taking pole and second position in the Qatar Sprint Shootout.
Max Verstappen also took a huge stride towards clinching his third consecutive world championship in Qatar by taking third in the Sprint Shootout.
Newly introduced tyre regulations and an additional practice session dominated the early Saturday headlines, with a 10-minute familiarisation practice session introduced to Saturday's schedule following safety-related track modifications.
However, the evening is set to be all about Verstappen and his mission to secure the title.

Verstappen knows that he only needs three points from this evening’s Sprint race to put the cherry on top of what has been an exceptional season for him and Red Bull, and barring any disasters, that now looks increasingly likely.
Behind Piastri and Norris in the Shootout were Verstappen, followed by Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

McLaren fight back
With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri having their highly competitive qualifying laps deleted on Friday, the McLaren duo were in a defiant mood as they sought to make amends.
And that they did, both looking quick and securing a locked-out front row for McLaren. Following the session, Norris admitted that he was disappointed not to have beaten his team-mate's 1:24.454s and will undoubtedly look to claim victory in the race.

Verstappen closes in on title
Verstappen has won two of the previous three Sprint races this season and has put himself in a commanding position to do the same in Qatar.
His focus will turn to winning the Sprint races later this evening, knowing a P6 finish or higher will land him his third consecutive Drivers World Championship.
Verstappen's under-fire Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez will start the Sprint from P8.

Hamilton knocked out in SQ2
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton's struggles in Qatar continued as, having described his Friday qualifying session as 'average', he was knocked out in the second Sprint Shootout.
He would have qualified for SQ3 had he not been penalised for exceeding track limits - which a number of drivers have been punished by stewards for already this weekend.
As a result, he is set to start the Sprint race from 12th.
F1 Sprint Shootout Results: Qatar Grand Prix 2023
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 1:24.454s
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
ELIMINATED IN SQ2
11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
12. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
13. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
14. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri)
15. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
ELIMINATED IN SQ1
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
17. Alex Albon (Williams)
18. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
19. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
20. Logan Sargeant (Williams)
READ MORE: F1 Qatar Grand Prix weather forecast
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
-
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2023
-
Grand Prix of China 2023
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
-
Miami Grand Prix 2023
-
Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
-
Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
-
AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
-
Grand Prix du Canada 2023
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2023
-
Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
-
Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2023
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2023
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2023
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
-
Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
-
Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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