Verstappen was involved in a near-miss with Mercedes’ George Russell who qualified alongside him on the front row. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen took a stunning first pole position in five months at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday while McLaren dealt Ferrari another blow in the Formula One constructors' title battle by qualifying ahead of their rivals.

Stewards drop Verstappen from pole to second place Russell inherits top slot for Mercedes McLaren qualify ahead of title rivals Ferrari DOHA — Mercedes’s George Russell was promoted to pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday after stewards gave Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a one-place grid drop for driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying.

Four of the current 24 races are in the Middle East – more than held in the United States. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Audi has sold a stake in its Formula One team to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund ahead of the German manufacturer’s entry to the sport in 2026. Audi announced on Friday ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) had acquired a “significant minority stake” in the team,

Qatar is buying a significant minority stake in Audi's Formula One team, the Gulf country's estimated $510 billion sovereign wealth fund and the German carmaker said on Friday. The holding will be almost a third of the team,