The four-time world champion was followed by George Russell – who has now been promoted to pole – and Lando Norris in P3, who will be eager to snatch the lead from the Mercedes star at the first corner.
Sergio Perez, who suffered a woeful sprint race performance on Saturday, managed to make it into Q3 and will start the grand prix P9, just above the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
McLaren have gained the upper hand going into Sunday's race ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' championship, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz claiming P5 and P7 on the grid and behind both of their rivals.
The race in Qatar kicks off today, Saturday, December 1, at 7pm local time.
Find the session start times converted to your local time zone below!
Local time (AST): 7pm Sunday Central European Time (CET): 5pm Sunday United Kingdom (GMT): 4pm Sunday United States (EST): 11am Sunday United States (CST): 10am Sunday United States (PST): 8am Sunday
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