Russell promoted to Qatar pole by Verstappen grid penalty

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has been stripped of pole position for impeding Mercedes driver George Russell in qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The judgement reverses the places on the front row, with Russell promoted to pole and Verstappen demoted to second place.

Verstappen, who had beaten Russell to pole by 0.055 seconds, was penalised for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding his rival.

The two cars tangled at Turn 12, forcing Russell on to the gravel.

Verstappen was penalised for driving unnecessarily slowly and found to have been “well outside” the target time required of drivers when not on a flying lap.

More to follow.