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Max Verstappen took pole position for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix as the indomitable Dutchman closes in on his third world title. Verstappen will be crowned champion of the world if he finishes at least sixth in Saturday’s 19-lap race at the Lusail International Circuit. And the Red Bull driver started his quest to become just the 11th driver in history to win the title on more than two occasions in typically irresistible fashion by clocking the fastest time in qualifying. In terms of the championship mathematics, Verstappen’s pole lap for Sunday’s main event will be redundant if he secures three points in Saturday’s sprint – the starting order for which will be determined by a second qualifying session here on Saturday afternoon – or Sergio Perez fails finish inside the top three. The probability of both are high. As Verstappen raced to top spot, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton securing second and third on the grid for Mercedes, Perez failed to make it out of Q2. Follow live updates from the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent Read More How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ F1: How can Max Verstappen win 2023 world championship in Qatar? Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher

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A furious Lance Stroll shoved his British personal trainer and then stormed out of a television interview following his dismal qualifying session for the Qatar Grand Prix. After he failed to make it out of Q1 – finishing more than a second behind Fernando Alonso in the other Aston Martin – Stroll took aim at his performance coach, Henry Howe. Stroll ignored Howe’s request to exit the front of the garage. Howe attempted to restrain Stroll only for the Canadian to angrily push him out of the way. Stroll, 24, then faced the media and provided six words to three questions about his performance which leaves him 17th on the grid. Asked to describe his emotions, Stroll replied: “S***.” Quizzed on what is not clicking for him behind the wheel Stroll added: “I don’t know.” And when he was challenged as to how he would handle the remainder of the weekend, Stroll simply said: “Keep driving,” before he walked off. Stroll, the son of Aston Martin’s fashion billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, has been blown away by team-mate Alonso this season. Alonso, who qualified fourth for Sunday’s race here, has scored 174 points to Stroll’s 47. He has claimed all of Aston Martin’s seven podiums this year while Stroll has managed only three points from his last seven appearances. Read More Max Verstappen fastest in Qatar practice as he closes in on world championship Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher

Max Verstappen took pole position for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix as the indomitable Dutchman closes in on his third world title. Verstappen will be crowned champion of the world if he finishes at least sixth in Saturday’s 19-lap race at the Lusail International Circuit. And the Red Bull driver started his quest to become just the 11th driver in history to win the title on more than two occasions in typically irresistible fashion by clocking the fastest time in qualifying. In terms of the championship mathematics, Verstappen’s pole lap for Sunday’s main event will be redundant if he secures three points in Saturday’s sprint – the starting order for which will be determined by a second qualifying session here on Saturday afternoon – or Sergio Perez fails finish inside the top three. The probability of both are high. As Verstappen raced to top spot, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton securing second and third on the grid for Mercedes, Perez failed to make it out of Q2. His best lap, which would have been fast enough to see him sneak through to Q3, was deleted for exceeding track limits at turn five. Perez, in equal machinery to the driver dominating the sport, will start 13th on Sunday. Perez threatened to fight Verstappen for the championship by winning two of the opening four rounds of the season, but the Mexican’s challenge has faded. He has not won since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, with Verstappen winning 11 of the next dozen races. Indeed, only a Singapore blip for Red Bull has thwarted this most one-sided of seasons for the Dutchman. He bounced back in impressive fashion to win in Japan last time out and his form under the Lusail lights, 18 miles north of Doha, indicates he will wrap up his third championship in as many years in style. Qualifying did not pass without incident for the 26-year-old following a duel with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who, like Perez, was a surprise casualty in Q2. “What is he doing, man?” Verstappen yelled over the radio. “He is defending. You see that? I almost crashed into him.” The stewards are investigating the Spaniard for erratic driving. Verstappen then aborted his final lap after making a rare mistake, but his first effort was good enough for first place, and he is primed to celebrate his probable title triumph on Saturday by claiming his 14th win from the 17 rounds so far 24 hours later. Behind Verstappen, Lando Norris looked to have taken second place, but his lap was scrubbed after he put all four wheels of his McLaren over the white line, relegating him to 10th. Russell was bumped up to second, one place ahead of Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. However, the Australian’s lap was also chalked off, dropping him to sixth and promoting Hamilton to third. Mercedes will take some comfort from being best of the rest, but Russell still finished four tenths off Verstappen, with Hamilton half-a-second down. Read More Max Verstappen fastest in Qatar practice as he closes in on world championship Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP Lando Norris narrows gap on Max Verstappen at final practice in Japan F1 Qatar Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and results at Lusail

Lance Stroll pushed his personal trainer in the Aston Martin garage and was visibly furious in his interview following qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday. The Canadian had just been knocked out in Q1 of qualifying and will start Sunday’s grand prix in 17th place. But as he emerged from his car in the garage, the 24-year-old walked to the back of the garage before seeming to shove his personal trainer in front of the cameras. His anger was clear to see and was still visible in his interview afterwards. Asked about his emotions right now, Stroll replied: “Yeah s***!” Then questioned on what’s not gone right, he said “I don’t know” before ending the interview with “keep driving” when asked about the rest of his weekend. Sky F1 pundit Naomi Schiff described Stroll’s conduct as “completely inappropriate” Max Verstappen qualified on pole, with George Russell alongside him on the front row and Lewis Hamilton in third. Stroll’s team-mate, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, qualified fourth on the grid. Read More F1 Qatar Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and results at Lusail How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ How can Max Verstappen win 2023 F1 world championship in Qatar?

Max Verstappen finished fastest in practice in Qatar as he closes in on a hat-trick of world championships. The Dutchman needs to finish only sixth in Saturday’s sprint race to clinch the title and he made light work of Friday’s sole practice at the Lusail International Circuit. Verstappen finished three tenths clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with Charles Leclerc third in the other scarlet car. Fernando Alonso took fourth spot for Aston Martin, one place ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished only eighth and 13th for Mercedes. Verstappen has dominated this season – winning 13 of the 16 races staged – and he will claim his third straight title if he scores three points in the 19-lap sprint race. First, Verstappen must qualify for Sunday’s main event and, on the evidence of the early running, he appears favourite to take pole position. The Dutch driver soared to the top of the time sheets of the one-hour running in the final minutes with a healthy third-of-a-second advantage to the rest of the field. Russell was almost a second back in the lead Mercedes, with Hamilton 1.2 sec behind Verstappen. Qualifying takes place at 8pm local time (6pm BST). Read More Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP

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Max Verstappen is on the verge of securing his third straight world championship as Formula 1 returns to the Middle East for the Qatar Grand Prix. The Dutchman only needs three more points to clinch the 2023 title, meaning he only needs to finish sixth or higher during the Saturday sprint race in order to seal his crown. Verstappen was back to his usual ruthless best last time out in Japan, after his first podium-less race of the season a week earlier in Singapore. How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ Sergio Perez endured a weekend to forget in Suzuka, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured a memorable double podium for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and is now just 33 points off Perez in the championship standings. Norris, meanwhile, has drawn level with George Russell in seventh place in the standings with six races and three sprints to go in 2023. F1 raced in Qatar for the first time towards the end of the memorable 2021 season, when Hamilton came home in first place at the Lusail International Circuit. A race did not take place in 2022 as Qatar was focusing on hosting the FIFA World Cup. F1 has signed a 10-year deal from 2023 to host a race in Qatar every year. Follow live updates from the Qatar Grand Prix with The Independent Read More How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ F1: How can Max Verstappen win 2023 world championship in Qatar? Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher

George Russell believes Max Verstappen’s imminent third world title will carry less satisfaction than his 2021 championship triumph over Lewis Hamilton because he has not been cornered into a proper fight. The imperious Dutchman, in his all-conquering Red Bull machine, has failed to win just three of the 16 rounds so far, and he is expected to sew up his latest championship in Saturday’s sprint round in Qatar. A sixth-placed finish in the 19-lap dash round the Lusail International Circuit is all he needs. Verstappen saw off Hamilton in a title battle for the ages two years ago before following up his controversial maiden world crown with a second last year. But on the eve of his third coronation, Russell, labelled a “d***head” by Verstappen after an on-track row in Azerbaijan earlier this year, said the lack of firm competition has allowed his rival to excel. “When it comes to any great in any sport, if the pressure is not turned up, you are in for a comfortable ride,” Russell told the PA news agency ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix. “And I am sure the 2021 championship fight was more satisfying for him because it was a true battle. “He has been exceptional this year, and there is no doubt about that. Week-after-week he has performed at such a high level. “But we see the strategy review before every race, and the prediction every weekend, is of him going off into the distance. He can drive at 90 per cent and still win with 10 seconds to spare, and he knows that.” Russell, 25, only five months younger than Verstappen, excelled in his first season with Mercedes in 2022. He landed the team’s only pole position, sole win, and out-scored team-mate Hamilton. But heading into the final six rounds of this campaign, he is eighth in the standings, 75 points and five places adrift of his fellow Englishman. Russell was close to tears after he allowed a rare opportunity to win slip through his fingers in Singapore – a race where he crashed out on the last lap – before he was embroiled in a number of spiky radio exchanges at the previous round in Japan as he duelled with Hamilton. Russell, on a different strategy to his team-mate, was ultimately ordered aside. However, the younger Briton insists Hamilton, 38, is not owed preferential treatment. He is also adamant that he can beat the seven-time world champion in a title fight if Mercedes provide him with the tools to do so. When it comes to any great in any sport, if the pressure is not turned up, you are in for a comfortable ride. George Russell “Absolutely,” said Russell, who will be paired with Hamilton until at least the end of 2025. “When you are going up against the best of all time, you are testing yourself. “People can easily criticise me, but every single Formula One driver has a direct comparison to their team-mate, and my judgement is against the best driver ever, so that is why I don’t mind what people say. “I took pride in last year’s performance. I took pride in taking the team’s only pole and only win, and I took pride when, at the start of the year in my first six races with the team, I was ahead of him (Hamilton) in almost every single qualifying session. “But that is not why I’m here. If I end my career tomorrow, I am not going to be singing and dancing about finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the championship. “I am here to win world titles and I am here to fight. There is an equal respect between the two of us and we are on equal terms. It doesn’t matter if you are Lewis, who is a seven-time world champion and has been here for 10 years, or me who is 18 months into my time with Mercedes. “We are on a level playing field and you only gain that respect by the performances you show on track and that respect has been earned.” Hamilton may be on the longest losing streak of his career – 39 races have passed since he last entered the winner’s circle at the penultimate round in Saudi Arabia nearly two years ago – but he remains the grid’s biggest star. “It is challenging for him when there are always the lights and cameras around, and rightly so,” added Russell, speaking in the Mercedes motorhome with Hamilton a few tables away. “But we have had many occasions where we have just been one-on-one. Even in Suzuka last week we sat down and had dinner together for about two hours and chatted about things that two blokes would speak about down the pub. I feel like a normal person and when you take him out of the crazy environment he is just a normal person. “It can be difficult to let your hair down. You are always on guard. And he is obviously very conscious of that. But when you are in a safe environment he is a great bloke, we get along, and it feels very normal.” And what of next year? Will Russell, Hamilton and Mercedes be able to stop the Verstappen juggernaut? “There was quote from (four-time world champion) Sebastian (Vettel) where he said ‘enjoy it, because it doesn’t last forever’,” concluded Russell. “We will get our chance and we have to be ready for it. “What are Red Bull are going to do? Who knows? Of course they are favourites for next year. But it is down to us to wake up every morning, look in the mirror, and say ‘we need to bring our A-game every single day’, and if we do that we can give them a run for their money.” Read More Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso lauds Max Verstappen as best F1 driver since Michael Schumacher Max Verstappen pips Oscar Piastri to pole after tense qualifying for Japanese GP Lando Norris narrows gap on Max Verstappen at final practice in Japan How Qatar plans to make F1 grand prix their ‘new World Cup’ Aston Martin boss reacts to Andretti’s bid to become 11th F1 team

At the Lusail International Circuit, home to the second iteration this weekend of Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix, a reminder of the country’s crowning moment glows bright in the background. The Lusail Iconic Stadium, the 88,000-capacity golden bowl which hosted last year’s World Cup final, is less than 10 miles down the road. But with the planet’s biggest show having come and gone – with its fair share of acclaim and criticism – Qatari executives are determined to move on. A new spectacle is in town. “We are the new World Cup for the next 10 years,” boldly stated Amro Al-Hamad, CEO of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, earlier this year. “Everybody [in Qatar] is now very eager to share their [World Cup] experiences with us to make sure that we deliver an even higher calibre event than the World Cup was.” Two years ago, as well as stepping in late in the day to stage the 20th race of the memorable 2021 season, Qatar signed a 10-year contract with F1 to stage a race every year from 2023. Earlier this year, F1 announced a multi-year partnership with Qatar Airways to be the sport’s global airline partner, replacing rival airline Emirates. With F1 having been long present in Bahrain and the UAE via Abu Dhabi, with Saudi Arabia a new entrant too in 2021, Qatar is now making waves at the top of single-seater motorsport, having hosted a race in MotoGP since 2004. Originally, the prospect of a street track in Doha was mooted and while that is not out of the question down the line, a newly refurbished paddock suggests the high-speed Lusail track will be the country’s home of motorsport in the short-term. The refurbs get their first showing this weekend. “The F1 paddock is state of the art,” added Al-Hamad. “We haven’t left any stone unturned. “The pit boxes are not suitable for F1 racing, opposite to the ones that we had for MotoGP [in Qatar since 2004] in the past. We have 50 boxes – I don’t think anybody else within the F1 calendar has that number of pit boxes.” The updates, however, should not overshadow concerns related to the country’s human rights record, with regards to worker conditions and discriminatory laws against women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Lewis Hamilton, who won the 2021 race, received a heap of praise when he wore a rainbow helmet two years ago. At that time, Amnesty International said: “It’s no secret that rich countries in the Middle East see top-level sport as a means to rebrand and sportswash their images, and a grand prix in Qatar would be more of the same.” F1 now hosts four races in the Middle East, including the first and last race of the season, with lucrative commercial contracts. Qatar will have an illustrious penultimate spot on the calendar next year. And despite being a new track to six of the 20 drivers this year, Qatar hosts the fourth sprint race of the season this coming weekend. But beyond any improvements to facilities off-track, the action on it typically makes an event a real hit-or miss. And while the 2023 season has been dominated by one man, Qatar is set to be the stage of his moment of glory. Max Verstappen only needs to finish in the top six in the sprint race on Saturday to claim his third championship on the bounce. The Dutchman, 26, will join the likes of Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Jackie Stewart with a hat-trick of championships to his name. “It doesn’t sound too bad, does it?” said Verstappen on Thursday. “It’s something I’d never have imagined to be a part of. I don’t think I’ll fully appreciate it until I stop. We just try to enjoy the moment. “We [Red Bull] are having an incredible season. The records we are breaking as a team is something we never expected to happen. We’re incredibly proud of them. Hopefully we can keep that momentum going.” Read More F1: How can Max Verstappen win 2023 world championship in Qatar? Aston Martin boss urges F1 to stick to 10 teams British F2 star to make F1 debut with Haas How can Max Verstappen win 2023 F1 world championship in Qatar? British F2 star to make F1 debut with Haas ‘Referees make mistakes’: Gasly compares Liverpool VAR farce to Abu Dhabi controversy

Finnair Oyj plans to raise as much as €600 million ($632 million) by issuing new shares as the