The Controversial Incident that Shook the Qatar Grand Prix

Verstappen's Lap Strategy and Its Consequences

Max Verstappen's decision to do just one run in Q3 and then engage in two push laps on soft tires was a strategic move. However, it led to a series of events that ultimately cost him pole position. The fact that three cars overtook him on the second cooldown lap, including his pole rival George Russell, added to the drama. Russell, who was gearing up to start a flying lap two corners later, came up right behind Verstappen with a significant speed difference through the right-handers in the final sector. This situation was described as "super dangerous" by Russell on the radio.

Red Bull had publicly expected Verstappen to be cleared of any wrongdoing as Russell wasn't on a true push lap. And indeed, Verstappen himself claimed he was slow because he had been letting Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso past. However, he was still investigated for "driving unnecessarily slowly" and was summoned to the race stewards along with Russell.

The Race Director's Event Notes and Delta Time

The race director, Rui Marques, had set a maximum time between the track's safety car lines for this weekend at 1m40s. Russell stated after qualifying that he was pushing on to ensure he adhered to this delta time. Two drivers, Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez, had received reprimands on Friday for breaching this delta time without a valid track position reason.

The stewards' verdict on Verstappen's breach was detailed. They noted that Verstappen was on a different preparation strategy from Russell and was well outside the delta. Verstappen explained that he had let Norris and Alonso past. Russell claimed he had adhered to the delta and didn't expect Verstappen to be on the racing line. The stewards considered this a complicated case, stating that Verstappen clearly didn't comply with the event notes and was driving unnecessarily slowly considering the circumstances. They also noted that Verstappen was attempting to cool his tires and could see Russell approaching as he looked in his mirror multiple times on the small straight between Turns 11 and 12.

The Impact on Verstappen's Pole Positions

This incident means that Verstappen has now lost both pole positions he has taken since Austria in June. He lost his top spot at Spa due to a 10-place engine penalty, and now this one-place grid penalty has further dented his pole position record. It remains to be seen how this will affect his performance in the actual race.