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

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My keen vigilance against smelling like body odor follows me around like a cartoon fart cloud. I am assured by people around me that the smell is all in my head. There’s a part of me that figures it’s an anxiety similar to being scared everyone is staring when you do something vaguely embarrassing in public — a delicate blend of insecurity and self-involvement that thinks everyone cares as much about you as you do. And yet, it’s a focus I clearly can’t shake, as I keep writing about it and keep researching ways I can deal with it. This time around, it’s about getting Botox in my armpits in an attempt to smell better.

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?

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