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Formula 1
Qatar GP
F1 Qatar GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 & Qualifying
Friday's action from the 17th round of the 2023 Formula 1 season
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Max Verstappen could wrap up his third Formula 1 world championship title during this weekend's sprint race, should he score three points or more on Saturday.
He holds a 177-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez, with Red Bull already having clinched the constructors' title last time out in Japan.
The Dutchman has won all bar three grands prix this year, with Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz the only other drivers to have taken Sunday victories.
The sprint format means qualifying takes place on Friday, with the sprint shootout and race taking place on Saturday ahead of Sunday's grand prix.
Qatar GP first practice starts at 2:30pm BST, followed by qualifying at 6:00pm BST.
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The FIA informs us that Hamilton, Tsunoda, Lawson and Piastri will be investigated after the session for failing to follow the race director's instructions regarding the maximum laptime.
We're green for Q2 as the 15 fastest runners from Q1 attempt to secure a place in the Q3 top 10 shootout.
The top nine in Q1 were Verstappen, Norris, Alonso, Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, Gasly, Ocon and Sainz.
Hulkenberg's last gasp effort was enough to secure him tenth spot, ahead of Perez, Bottas, Tsunoda, 2021 poleman Hamilton and on-the-bubble Albon in Q1.
Alonso is left frustrated at Leclerc, who slipstreamed the Aston down the front straight before launching a move into Turn 1. That would have been a well-lauded overtake had he pulled it off in the race.
The checkered flag is out and the five who fail to progress to Q2 are Sargeant, Stroll, Lawson, Magnussen and Zhou.
Sargeant was unable to improve on his final timed effort, which proves costly as he drops to 16th and tells his team "I left some on the table in the high-speed".
Hulkenberg is safe, as he zips his way into ninth. That pushes Albon into the drop zone, but he just manages to escape at the expense of team-mate Sargeant.
Lawson, Hulkenberg, Stroll, Zhou and Magnussen are currently in danger, with Sargeant 14th and Albon 15th as things stand.
Now Verstappen enters the chat and bangs in a 1m25.007s to edge Norris with the fastest time of the session so far. We're into the closing stages here - who will be able to escape the drop?
But Leclerc's time is usurped by Norris as the McLaren driver lodges a 1m25.131s. Piastri underlines McLaren's pace with a 1m25.769s to go fourth ahead of Sainz and Perez.
Perez was only 13th and looking in some danger but now moves up to fourth as Leclerc also deposes Alonso for top spot with a new benchmark of 1m25.452s.
Zhou, Albon, Lawson, Magnussen and Norris (yet to set a time) are the quintet currently facing danger of elimination.
Piastri, Albon and Magnussen are the latest trio to affront the officials with their egregious track limits usage, which dumps Albon back into the drop zone and boosts Stroll to the precarious P15 on the bubble.
Mercedes deliver the goods as Russell slots into second and Hamilton into third behind Alonso, who has a 0.223s cushion at the moment. Things aren't looking so good for the Aston driver's team-mate though, as the Merc flyers push Stroll into the drop zone in 16th.
Hulkenberg ends up 12th with his first effort, despite a very sizable wobble in the penultimate corner that meant he had to get out of the throttle briefly.
"It's very hot in the car," reports Ocon. You'd imagine it was more hot than usual considering, well, we're in the desert.
No times on the board yet from either of the Mercedes cars, or from Norris. They're leaving it late.
But Leclerc's time doesn't stand and becomes the latest struck off for track limits. The most prolific offender so far is Gasly, who has lost two laps for the same reason.
Verstappen's second lap is an improvement at 1m26.488s, before Alonso blasts into the 1m25s bracket on a 1m25.685s. Ocon briefly goes ahead of Leclerc, before the Monegasque goes back into second on a 1m26.098s.
Verstappen isn't happy at getting caught behind one of the Mercedes in the final sector. Both of the German machines have been out on sighter laps with the medium tyre before returning to the pits.
Norris goes quickest on a 1m26.043s, but his time is also struck off. Piastri's opening gambit puts him ahead of Gasly into fourth as Leclerc heads Alonso.
A 1m26.444s now puts Leclerc to the top of the pile as Gasly shuffles ahead of Verstappen into third. Stroll is the first driver to lose a time to a track limits infringement.
The first time on the board from Verstappen is a 1m26.884s, which is beaten by Alonso's 1m26.715s.
Even in two years, the grid has changed a fair amount with several drivers new to racing in Qatar. These include Hulkenberg, Magnussen, and Zhou, as well as 2023 rookies Piastri, Sargeant and Lawson.
Alas not so, as Verstappen's exit from the pits prompts an exodus behind him.
Given how dusty the track was earlier on, will teams elect to wait it out a little at the start of the session and allow the circuit to be cleaned up somewhat? The session is green, but no cars on track yet.
Less than five minutes to go until we're green for Q1. The busiest session of the lot, will we see any surprise names fall at the first hurdle?
Meanwhile, there's been confirmation that Formula 1 teams have landed the capital expenditure increase they were seeking, with the four least successful outfits receiving a $20m spending boost to help them level the playing field. You can read more about that here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/bottom-four-f1-teams-land-20m-capex-boost/10529467/
There's been plenty happening in the flood-lit paddock as well as on the track. Reacting to the news earlier this week that Andretti's prospective entry to Formula 1 has been accepted by the FIA, Williams boss James Vowles stated that his outfit is “very strongly against” the addition of an 11th team: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/williams-against-andretti-entry-but-would-welcome-general-motors-into-f1/10529462/
Air temperatures are 31.6 °C, with track temperature at 34.7 °C. Roasty.
Rain
Risk of rain for this session is 0%. Now there's a surprise.
Verstappen recovered from being demoted to seventh on the grid to finish second, as Fernando Alonso scored the first podium of his F1 comeback for Alpine in third. But it was Hamilton who won the first ever Qatar GP by a commanding 25.743s having led every single lap.
As there's only been one previous GP in Qatar, we don't have to look back far to check the form guide. Lewis Hamilton took pole in 2021 by 0.597s over Verstappen, with his then Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas third. But Verstappen and Bottas both earned penalties for disrespecting yellow flags, which promoted Pierre Gasly to second on the grid for AlphaTauri.
Remember, today's qualifying session only sets the grid for Sunday's grand prix. We'll get to do this all over again tomorrow, as the sprint shootout forms the grid for the sprint race.
Verstappen was fastest in practice earlier on. The only session in which teams could fine tune their set-ups on the first visit to Qatar with the current aero regulations therefore took on even greater importance than usual. You can read the full report from that session here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-qatar-gp-fp1-report/10529396/
We had two sprint races in July at the Red Bull Ring and Spa Francorchamps, but this is the first sprint event since that chaotic wet-dry encounter in Belgium that Oscar Piastri briefly led before Max Verstappen went on to win. Of course, the Red Bull man can seal the title in the sprint tomorrow, which would put him in a rather exclusive club of three time champions with Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.
Good evening everybody and welcome back to Autosport's live text coverage of track action from Qatar. We'll be green for qualifying in a little under 20 minutes.
We're off for a cup of tea, some biscuits and an afternoon nap now, but we'll be back shortly before 6pm BST for qualifying - see you then!
Read the full F1 Qatar GP FP1 report here: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/only-three-teams-bring-f1-upgrades-to-qatar-as-sprint-race-format-bites-/10529366/
By: Autosport Staff
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