George Russell threw down the early benchmark early in Q3, putting his W15 on provisional pole by over three-tenths over Charles Leclerc. McLaren’s Lando Norris pulled out of his first push lap after a snap at Turn 4 saw his MCL38 veer off the racing line.

Four-times world champion Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for the first time in five months at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday while McLaren qualified ahead of title rivals Ferrari.