Miguel A. HerguedasSpecial Envoy Sakhir
Special Envoy Sakhir
Updated Friday, March 1, 2024-18:23
Alonso and Sainz A test of character before resolving their future
Christian Horner The scandal of anonymous emails about his alleged sexual abuse
Fast lap Who will stop the collector Verstappen?
The speculation ended, the masks fell and
Max Vestappen
started the 2024 World Cup as he had closed the previous one.
He was laughing out loud under his helmet after his first pole position of the year (1:29.179), with 22 hundredths ahead of
Charles Leclerc
and 30ths ahead of
George Russell
.
There was no way for the Spaniards to put up a fight, because
Carlos Sainz
, fourth, and
Fernando Alonso
, sixth, still need more momentum after one lap.
Nothing else
The Spaniard played against the grain, waiting his turn and betting everything on a bullet, when his opponents left the court free.
Thanks to a fantastic intermediate sector, where he set a provisional record, he was able to pull ahead of Hamilton and the McLarens.
And he only lost to
Sergio Pérez
by five thousandths.
It was betting on the new soft ones in Q2 and spreading terror among the competition.
Mad Max
's 1:29.374
not only meant more than half a second before Pérez, but it also gave him carte blanche to save tires, while the rest had to use an extra set.
The one who squeezed them best was Leclerc (1: 29.165), reiterating Ferrari's power in the second and third sectors, where he destroyed Verstappen by more than five tenths.
The benefit was also noticeable for Alonso, who had gone out to Q2 with new shoes, although far from the lead.
His second attempt, a little more refined, would place him fifth, 69 hundredths behind Leclerc.
The asphalt temperature dropped to 21ºC and Mercedes continued to sweat more than she should.
George Russell
, investigated for not following the race director's instructions, had to hurry until the last moment, just like Hamilton.
The unmitigated disappointment was
Lance Stroll
, twelfth, almost a tenth off the cut, set by
Oscar Piastri
.
In Q1, the Canadian had already had to wait for his final attempt to escape the burn, but his time, just 56 thousandths off the lead, left clues about the Aston Martin's brio.
Hamilton also suffered a little more than expected, with a 1:30.4 that placed him half a second behind Sainz.
The only positive surprise was the speed of
Alex Albon
, embedding his Williams between the Merceeds.
On the other side of the scale, Alpine's failure, with its two cars in the hole.
Meanwhile,
Otmar Szafnauer
, former boss of the French team, walked through the
paddock
with his VIP accreditation.