Max Verstappen – the other driver in the three-way title battle – was beaten by his Red Bull team-mate and could qualify only sixth.

Lando Norris allowed Oscar Piastri to take pole position for Saturday’s crucial sprint race in Qatar after he made a mistake at the final corner.

Norris, who heads McLaren team-mate Piastri by 24 points heading into the concluding two rounds of the season, ran through the gravel, and will start third.

George Russell splits the McLaren pair, just 0.032 seconds slower than Piastri, with Max Verstappen’s championship bid suffering a blow after he could manage only sixth.

The Dutchman, who was out-qualified by Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda for the first time here, with the Japanese driver one place ahead of him on the grid – is level on points with Piastri

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