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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

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

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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Alonso finished fourth ahead of Perez, with Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Russell and the two McLarens completing the top 10
Verstappen ends the session top, with Sainz and Leclerc in second and third
Checkered flag
There's the chequered flag!
Big oversteer snap from Leclerc there at Turn 5 - is it getting windier out there?
Stopwatch
With two minutes left on the clock, Verstappen is quickest ahead of Alonso and Perez
Alonso is top again with a 1m27.919s, with Leclerc second and Hulkenberg in third for Haas on the soft tyres
Alex Albon is struggling a bit at Turn 4 on the soft tyres - he says it feels like the rear isn't attached to the car and he has "zero accommodation"
Less than 15 minutes remaining - who will top the timesheet in the only practice session of the weekend?
Stopwatch
Leclerc goes fastest - a 1m28.104s on the medium-compound tyre sees the Ferrari driver lead ahead of the two McLarens
Stopwatch
Norris slots into second behind his team-mate, ahead of Alonso and the two Ferraris
Stopwatch
Cracking lap from Oscar Piastri there, who goes quickest by 0.244s from Fernando Alonso
Big snap at the apex of Turn 6 there for Verstappen
Sainz slots into second between Alonso and Leclerc, with Verstappen in fourth
Leclerc spent a bit of time back in the garage after his earlier issue, but is now back out on track
Charles Leclerc is complaining of an odd noise from his Ferrari as he pulls into the pits - hopefully they can fix whatever issue is causing that as quickly as they solved his team-mate's earlier gremlin
Alpine, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri are the only three teams to have brought upgrades this weekend, as the implications of the sprint race format bite. Check them out: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/only-three-teams-bring-f1-upgrades-to-qatar-as-sprint-race-format-bites-/10529366/
Stopwatch
Alonso is now top with a 1m28.624s
Stopwatch
Leclerc goes quickest with a 1m29.082s, with Verstappen second and Alonso third
Hello to Ollie Bearman who is in the Haas garage this weekend ahead of his two FP1 outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi!
Stopwatch
Verstappen slots into second just 0.1s off Russell's best time
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Russell goes back to the top with a 1m29.979s
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Hamilton is next to top the timesheet with a 1m31.279s. His 2021 pole time was a 1m20.827s.
Lando Norris wipes out one of the polystyrene boards with his front wing, but appears to have escaped without damage
Stopwatch
Russell improves a bit more to 1m31.613s, 1.5s ahead of second-placed Gasly
Verstappen runs wide at Turn 10 as the setting sun causes some visibility issues
Stopwatch
George Russell is now quickest with a 1m32.420s, 0.8s clear of Verstappen in second
This is only F1's second trip to Losail, with Lewis Hamilton having won last time out in 2021
Charles Leclerc ran a little bit wide at Turn 5 as he gets used to the tricky conditions
Stopwatch
Fernando Alonso is top of the timesheet currently, with a 1m34.724s
Carlos Sainz says his dad (rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr) would do well in these conditions - it is looking very dusty out there!
Latest from Verstappen: "Oh my god, it's so slippery!"
Carlos Sainz had a brief sensor issue on his Ferrari, but it sounds like it's all sorted now
The wind is now up to 32.4 km/h out on track
It's looking busy already out there - teams need to take advantage of the limited running ahead of this evening's qualifying session
Green flag
Pit exit is now open for the weekend's only practice session. Who will be fastest?
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is again absent this weekend as he recovers from a knee operation, but Lewis Hamilton says he remains fully engaged with the squad when he stays home on race weekends
Our man on the ground also said: "The new track surface looked very smooth on our track run, so will be interesting to see how that works with the hard range of compounds."

Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas, who is at the circuit, says it's getting pretty windy on the ground: "It's very windy with a headwind down the main straight. In the race that will make DRS much more powerful, but its a crosswind and various points - including Turns 14 and 15 that Gasly and Alonso told me were critical corners here yesterday."

The DRS zone at Losail International Circuit is now around 100m shorter than planned
The discussion about an 11th team on the grid continues to rumble on after Andretti's application was approved by the FIA. Rodin CEO David Dicker says that F1 failed to back up its "rhetoric" that it wanted something new from an extra team as his entry was denied.

By: Autosport Staff

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