Verstappen takes pole position at Qatar Grand Prix as McLaren shines in qualifying

Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix, marking his first since the Austrian GP. He achieved a lap time of 1:20.520, edging out George Russell, who qualified second. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from McLaren took third and fourth. McLaren showed strong performance, finishing first and second in the sprint race and extending their lead over Ferrari in the constructors' standings. They now lead Ferrari by 30 points and need to outscore them by 15 points in the main race to secure the championship. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified fifth and seventh, respectively. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Mercedes. Verstappen is under investigation for blocking Russell during qualifying, but his performance has put him in a competitive position for the race.