OFFICIAL GRID: Who starts where in Qatar as Verstappen demoted to P2

LUSAIL CITY, QATAR - NOVEMBER 30: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Second placed qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes attend the press conference after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on November 30, 2024 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

After an epic qualifying lap from newly-crowned four-time champion Max Verstappen clinched pole position for Red Bull, it’s actually Mercedes’ George Russell who will start first on the grid for the Qatar Grand Prix.

That was thanks to Verstappen picking up a one-place penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly during the session. It puts the Dutchman second ahead of the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who controlled Saturday’s F1 Sprint to give their team maximum points.

REPORT: Russell promoted to pole after Verstappen had taken surprise P1 in Qatar by just 0.055s

That means more work to do for Ferrari, who are trying to overhaul McLaren for the 2024 constructors’ crown. Charles Leclerc starts fifth and Carlos Sainz seventh, the scarlet cars split on the grid by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

A superb Q3 lap from Fernando Alonso puts Aston Martin eighth for the start, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and the Haas of Kevin Magnussen completing the top ten. Other notable qualifying showings came from the Kick Saubers, with Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas 12th and 13th respectively.

Starting Grid

FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2024

Pos.	Driver	Time
1	George RussellRUS	1:20.575
2	Max VerstappenVER	1:20.520
3	Lando NorrisNOR	1:20.772
4	Oscar PiastriPIA	1:20.829
5	Charles LeclercLEC	1:20.852
6	Lewis HamiltonHAM	1:21.011
7	Carlos SainzSAI	1:21.041
8	Fernando AlonsoALO	1:21.251
9	Sergio PerezPER	1:21.425
10	Kevin MagnussenMAG	1:21.500