Max Verstappen took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit, beating Mercedes driver George Russell by just over half a tenth of a second.

After the session, Verstappen admitted he was surprised by how much the changes to his Red Bull improved its performance, saying he "had no idea it would make such a big difference."

This pole position marks Verstappen's first since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, showing the improvement Red Bull has made after a period full of struggles.

However, Verstappen's result is now under review as he is facing a potential grid drop for Sunday’s race.

He has been summoned to the stewards over claims that he drove too slowly on a warm-up lap in Q3. This caused Russell to take avoiding action, with the Mercedes driver later calling the situation "dangerous."

The stewards will meet with Verstappen at 23:15 local time to decide if he will get a penalty, which in this case is normally three places on the grid.