Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen faces an uphill battle in the Qatar Sprint race after a troubled qualifying session on Saturday. The Red Bull Racing driver reported important handling issues with his car, ultimately qualifying in sixth position-a rare setback for the dominant champion. The Sprint sets the grid for sunday’s Grand Prix, and with rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris starting first and third respectively, a dramatic race is anticipated.
A difficult qualifying session has left reigning World Champion Max Verstappen with work to do in the Qatar Sprint race: The Red Bull Racing star struggled with his car’s handling and will start from sixth position.
Verstappen repeatedly voiced his frustrations over team radio during Sprint Qualifying, describing his car as “hopping like crazy.”
The 69-time Grand Prix winner could only manage sixth place, a challenging starting position for the 19-lap Sprint. Championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will start from P1 and P3, respectively, setting up a potentially dramatic race.
“From the first lap, the car was bouncing a lot, and I had a lot of understeer, which then turned into oversteer in the fast corners,” Verstappen explained. “You just can’t go fast around this track like that.”
“Ultimately, the setup wasn’t right throughout qualifying, and we couldn’t improve it with adjustments to the steering wheel. Now we need to understand what happened. Luckily, we can still work on the car before qualifying for the Grand Prix, but the Sprint won’t be easy. I’ll just have to try and get through it as cleanly as possible.”
“We made some changes to the car after the first free practice session. It clearly didn’t work in qualifying, so we need to figure out why.”
Sprint-Qualifying, Katar
01. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, 1:20,055 min
02. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, 1:20,087
03. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, 1:20,285
04. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, 1:20,450
05. Yuki Tsunoda (J), Red Bull Racing, 1:20,519
06. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:20,528
07. Kimi Antonelli (I), Mercedes, 1:20,532
08. Carlos Sainz (E), Williams, 1:20,542
09. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, 1:20,622
10. Alex Albon (T), Williams, 1:20,788
11. Isack Hadjar (F), Racing Bulls, 1:21,433
12. Oliver Bearman (GB), Haas, 1:21,494
13. Gabriel Bortoleto (BR), Sauber, 1:21,567
14. Nico Hülkenberg (D), Sauber, 1:21,631
15. Esteban Ocon (F), Haas, 1:21,666
16. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, 1:21,807
17. Liam Lawson (NZ), Racing Bulls, 1:21,851
18. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Ferrari, 1:22,043
19. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, 1:22,112
20. Franco Colapinto (RA), Alpine, 1:22,364
Sprint-Pole Sitters
Silverstone 2021 – Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes
Monza 2021 – Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Mercedes
Interlagos 2021 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Imola 2022 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Ring 2022 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Interlagos 2022 – Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas
Baku 2023 – Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari
Spielberg 2023 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Francorchamps 2023 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Katar 2023 – Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren-Mercedes
Austin 2023 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Interlagos 2023 – Lando Norris (GB), McLaren
Shanghai 2024 – Lando Norris (GB), McLaren
Miami 2024 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Spielberg 2024 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Austin 2024 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Interlagos 2024 – Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren
Katar 2024 – Lando Norris (GB), McLaren
Shanghai 2025 – Lewis Hamilton (GB), Ferrari
Miami 2025 – Kimi Antonelli (I), Mercedes
Spa 2025 – Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren
Austin 2025 – Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing
Interlagos 2025 – Lando Norris (GB), McLaren
Katar 2025 – Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren
