Max Verstappen delivered a stunning qualifying session Saturday night at the Qatar Grand Prix, stealing pole position from favorites such as George Russell and Lando Norris. That performance ended a lengthy drought for Verstappen — who last started on pole in a Grand Prix in Austria back in July — and was a shocking turnaround from his performance in the F1 Sprint Race earlier in the day, where he finished eighth.
Max Verstappen hit with grid penalty at F1 Qatar GP
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen captured pole position for the F1 Qatar Grand Prix, but he will not start there
Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But he will not start there.
Verstappen has been given a one-place penalty, and assessed a penalty point, after an investigation into impeding during qualifying:
Race officials summoned Verstappen for an investigation into a potential impending incident that occurred during Q3 involving George Russell. As the Mercedes driver was beginning a push lap near the end of the session, Verstappen was right on the racing line in front of him.
You can see the incident in question here:
As noted, Russell flagged that in real time, calling it “super dangerous” from the Red Bull driver.
The summons noted that Verstappen may have been “driving unnecessarily slowly” during the qualifying session:
The standard penalty for impeding during a qualifying session is a three-place grid drop, and depending on what the race officials hear from Verstappen, the Red Bull driver might be starting a little further back on the grid when the lights go out Sunday night in Qatar.
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