Hamilton is just 14 points behind Verstappen heading into the last three races of the year, including Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. French time) at the Losail circuit.

It's Hamilton's first pole since Hungary on August 1, and the 102nd of the 37-year-old Briton's career, chasing a record-breaking eighth world title this season.

By winning last Sunday a spectacular victory in Brazil, where he started only 10th on the grid after a penalty, Hamilton regained seven points from Verstappen, who is aiming, at 24, for a very first world coronation.

"It's a very fast circuit, and it is not the easiest circuit to follow" and therefore to overtake, explained Hamilton, particularly happy with his performance: "My last lap ... it was very beautiful (...) especially at night under the spotlight ".

British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), during the 2nd practice session of the 1st Grand Prix of Qatar in the history of Formula 1, on November 20, 2021 at the Losail International Circuit, in the suburb of Doha KARIM JAAFAR AFP

Verstappen under investigation

This is the very first time that F1 has visited Qatar, where the riders discover the Losail circuit (5.380 km), usually used by MotoGP.

Hamilton, who edged Verstappen by 455 / 1000th, said he was surprised at his dominance: "I did not expect such a gap".

The Dutchman, however "rather satisfied with the car in qualifying", noted that Red Bull was "a little more in difficulty lately in qualifying ... but sometimes we are just not fast enough".

"It's hard to predict what's going to happen because we've never raced here," continued the Red Bull driver.

Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) answers a journalist's questions after qualifying for the 1st Grand Prix of Qatar in Formula 1 history on November 20, 2021 at the Losail International Circuit, in the suburb of Doha HAMAD I MOHAMMED POOL / AFP

Frenchman Pierre Gasly, 4th, equaled his best result in qualifying, despite a puncture at the very end of the session and a stop at the finish line.

Verstappen, who was walking behind him, said he was not embarrassed by the incident.

But the Dutchman was later called in by the stewards for allegedly ignoring the waved double yellow flag, meaning he had to slow down.

It will be heard on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. local (11:00 a.m. French) and risks three penalty places on the grid.

Whether he starts 2nd or 5th, strategy could play an important role on Sunday, knowing that Mercedes will be able to rely on Valtteri Bottas, qualified in third position ... unlike Red Bull, whose second driver Sergio Pérez is only 11th.

Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Lando Norris (McLaren) took 5th and 6th places, ahead of Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) in the Top 10.

Ten years of F1 in Qatar

In the longer term, Qatar signed a 10-year contract with Formula 1 in 2023, raising criticism from international NGOs, which condemn the treatment of the hundreds of thousands of workers, especially from Asia, on major construction sites. the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Faced with criticism, Qatar claims to have done a lot to improve the working conditions of immigrant workers.

While the World Cup will start a year to the day after this Grand Prix on Sunday, Fifa President Gianni Infantino was present on Saturday at the circuit, as were former footballers Cafu, Marcel Desailly and Marco Materazzi.

Hamilton, very committed to the defense of minorities, also wears this weekend on his helmet the colors of the rainbow flag, symbol of the LGBT community, and other bands of black, brown, blue, pink and white and the words "We stand together".

“I will be using the same helmet for the two remaining races after this one,” Hamilton explained, as F1 is expected in Saudi Arabia for the first time as well (December 5) and then in Abu Dhabi (December 12) for the end of this extremely close fight for the title.

The joy of the British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), after winning the pole position of the 1st Grand Prix of Qatar in the history of Formula 1, November 20, 2021 at the Losail International Circuit, in the suburb of Doha ANDREJ ISAKOVIC AFP

“It's important for me to represent this LGBTQ + community, there are situations here that are not perfect and that need to be highlighted,” he said.

© 2021 AFP