Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were satisfied on Friday in Qatar. The Dutchman set the first and third fastest time, while Hamilton was fourth fastest on two occasions. But there was more to happen during the first day of racing.
FIA gives Verstappen no penalty for incident in Brazil
Mercedes tried to give Verstappen a penalty prior to the Qatar Grand Prix. They felt the Dutchman pushed Hamilton off the track in Brazil, so the Briton could not overtake him. According to the FIA, Verstappen made no mistake, so a penalty was off the table.
Discussion about Hamilton's rear wing continues
Hamilton's rear wing is once again the subject of discussion in Qatar. It is reported that Red Bull now have new evidence that it has given to the FIA. According to Helmut Marko, the FIA will investigate quickly, although it remains to be seen if it will come up with a result as early as this weekend.
Verstappen and Hamilton remain close
Verstappen and Hamilton both need to perform well this weekend, which was evident in the first two free practice sessions. Both drivers left a good impression and seemed to leave much of a gap to each other in terms of speed. It looks like they will have an exciting qualifying session.
Hamilton makes important statement
Although we are at the end of the title race, Hamilton has enough energy to deal with other matters as well. He took advantage of the race in Qatar to make a statement about human rights in the country. With a rainbow flag he reinforced his statement.