- World champion four-tenths quicker than title rival
- Valterri Bottas in third but Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez only in 11th
Lewis Hamilton took pole for the first Qatar Grand Prix after a dominant display under the floodlights in Doha. The Mercedes driver was on top throughout the session and left his Formula One title rival Max Verstappen languishing four-tenths back in second place.
Valtteri Bottas was in third for Mercedes, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was fourth with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in fifth. Red Bull’s hopes of having two cars in the mix at the front suffered a major setback with Sergio Pérez failing to make it into Q3, finishing in 11th place.