Max Verstappen celebrated his fourth world championship by putting his Red Bull on pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix. Verstappen started sixth and finished only eighth in the earlier sprint race won by Oscar Piastri as McLaren edged closer to their first constructors’ title in 26 years.

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen says he “lost all respect” for Mercedes driver George Russell after an incident between them in qualifying cost him pole position on the grid for the Qatar Grand Prix

Max Verstappen followed up securing his fourth world championship by winning a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton suffered another miserable evening in his penultimate Mercedes appearance. Seven-time world champion Hamilton was penalised twice by the stewards and said his car was “broken” as he finished down in 12th spot in a race which saw Verstappen claim a dominant win.

Verstappen qualified on pole but after a lengthy deliberation involving both drivers, the stewards gave the 2024 F1 world champion a one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell on a warm-up lap in the final phase of qualifying.

George Russell started ahead of Max Verstappen on Sunday, and knew deep down a move would be coming for the lead.

Max Verstappen captured the victory at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, storming to the front of the field after being forced to start second despite capturing pole position on Saturday. While Verstappen was fastest in the field during the qualifying session,