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

Four-times world champion Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for the first time in five months at the Qatar Grand Prix on Saturday while McLaren qualified ahead of title rivals Ferrari. George Russell qualified second for Mercedes with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri third and fourth respectively.

Newly-crowned four-time world champion Max Verstappen has been stripped of pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix for impeding Mercedes driver George Russell in qualifying on Saturday.

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,