F1 Qatar GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying

Thank you as ever for joining us, as we bring the live text to a close. We've a real fight brewing between Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren at the sharp end, in what promises to be a superb penultimate race of the year in Qatar. We hope you join us again tomorrow for all the updates as they happen, with the race starting at 16:00 GMT. See you then!

In case you missed any of the action, here's the full report from a fascinating qualifying session headed by Max Verstappen, as the Red Bull driver usurped George Russell with a last gasp effort. There is an investigation to follow though over him slowing unduly and causing Russell to take avoiding action. We'll let you know as soon as we hear more on that.

"It just felt already a lot more stable over one lap and that's exactly what we need," adds Verstappen, who swerves Jolyon Palmer's question asking him to pick out his biggest threat for the race. One thing is for sure, it will be an exciting watch.

"We did change a bit on the car, but I never thought it would make such a swing in performance," reflects Verstappen. "So that's promising. I also hope it will last tomorrow in the race." That will indeed be the true test, since Red Bull has not won a race in the dry since the Spanish GP in June.

"Honestly, I also didn't expect that," offers Verstappen. "Well done to the team to give me a car that feels a bit more connected." He reckons this allowed him to push harder.

"I was really surprised at their turnaround, because they looked really off the pace yesterday," says Russell of Red Bull's improvement. So we're not the only ones, then!

"Hopefully we can have a proper race, rather than this team orders stuff," is Russell's response when asked for his thoughts on racing Verstappen tomorrow. He was none too impressed by Norris slowing to deliberately keep Piastri in DRS range during the sprint earlier on.

Russell calls his altercation with Verstappen "a hairy one" and theorises that possible floor damage from running over the kerb may have been a factor in him not improving on his final tour. There will be more to come on that point before too long, I'm sure.

Russell admits that starting on the front row for a third consecutive race is not something that he or his team could have dreamed of not too many moons ago. "Feeling in such a groove at the moment," he says, offering that his first timed lap in Q3 "was one of the best I've ever done" but was unable to find the improvement at the crunch.

Norris explains that third was "the maximum we could do" and reckons he was happy with his lap but laments that McLaren was "not quick enough compared to the others". 

Leclerc ended up best of the Ferraris in fifth and will share row three with Hamilton, with Sainz having to settle for best Spaniard ahead of Alonso in eighth. Perez, making his return to Q3, can only muster ninth ahead of Magnussen.

After its 1-2 finish in the sprint, McLaren will have to be content with locking out the second row, Norris putting together a scrappy session to end up 0.252s shy of Verstappen with Piastri in fourth.

There was just 0.055s between Verstappen and Russell at the line, but the Mercedes driver's fine run of form continues; their respective team-mates, Perez and Hamilton, ended up ninth and sixth.

"Super dangerous by Verstappen," says Russell as he has to suddenly check up to avoid ploughing into the Red Bull. That will be investigated after the session.

It's a first pole for Verstappen since Austria all the way back in June. After he locked out the top spot in qualifying at each of the first seven grands prix of the year, nobody could have predicted it would be such a lengthy wait to notch his ninth pole of 2024.

It's pole for Max Verstappen! What a turn around for the four-time world champion.

Norris punches in a lap but is only third, ahead of Piastri and Leclerc. Can Verstappen dislodge Russell from pole?

This has been a slightly unusual Q3 with various drivers struggling to knit things together. Now it's make it or break it time.

No time set for Alonso in Q3 so far, but he's now emerged on a fresh set of tyres looking to conquer his Turn 10 nemesis - which has cost him lap times in Q2 and Q3 so far this evening.

Norris has backed out of a lap that was not set to trouble the front runners, so will now attempt to go again. But time is ticking for the McLaren man.

Three different cars in the top three as things stand, and none of them are a McLaren. Who saw that coming an hour ago? Here comes Norris to try and remedy that statistic.

Verstappen is purple in sector one, but just misses out on beating Russell to provisional pole by 0.045s. What a turnaround from the sprint race!

Norris meanwhile didn't set a lap on his first run either, after dipping his left-hand wheels into the gravel at Turn 5, losing half a second in an instant before backing out.

Alonso's first go is chalked off for track limits, as Piastri can only manage the fifth fastest time behind both Ferraris and Mercedes.

As it turns out, Russell doesn't truly gun it on that lap, so Sainz is our fastest man so far - although he is in turn pipped by Leclerc.

Piastri leads Russell onto the pit straight but backs out of the throttle as the Mercedes man guns it for his first flyer; the McLaren instead prioritising bringing the tyres in gently it seems.

So here are your 10 drivers vying for pole position. Verstappen was quickest in Q2 from Norris and Leclerc. They're joined by Russell, Hamilton, Piastri, Sainz, Alonso, Magnussen and Perez.

Verstappen ended up fastest in Q2, laying down the gauntlet with all three purple sectors. His lap, a 1m20.687s, edged out Norris for the top spot by 0.296s.

Tsunoda ends up 14th in the lead RB, with Stroll also missing the cut in 15th. But Alonso does make it through for Aston Martin with eighth spot, ahead of Magnussen and Perez - who makes up for his sprint qualifying woes to net a first Q3 appearance since Austin.

Hamilton's late improvement rescues him from the drop zone and knocks out Gasly, who ends up 11th ahead of Zhou and Bottas in an encouraging qualifying for Sauber.

Tsunoda now stakes his claim for the top 10 and nudges past Magnussen into 10th spot. Can the Dane respond?

There's very little to choose between Perez in sixth and Hamilton in ninth at present, with Gasly and Sainz between them. If none can improve on their next laps and others currently in the drop zone find time, analysis will turn to the ultra-fine margins currently splitting them. 

Verstappen has improved his time to a 1m21.049s, with Russell in second and Leclerc third also improving - that trio split by just 0.058s. 

Oh dear, Sainz has been noted for an unsafe release that requires Hamilton to stamp on the brakes. That will be investigated after the session.

Gasly has punched into sixth spot, and looks good to repeat his SQ3 appearance from yesterday. Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton and Magnussen are also in as things stand, but can't be too relaxed about things.