Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe
Live text
Formula 1 Qatar GP

F1 Qatar GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race

Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, the rest of the field at the start

Max Verstappen wrapped up his third F1 world title in the Qatar sprint on Saturday and starts today’s grand prix on pole looking to celebrate in style.

But the race has thrown F1 teams a curveball with a mandated maximum of 18-lap stints – effectively pushing all drivers into a three-stop strategy – due to safety concerns on tyre trouble.

In conjunction with Pirelli, the FIA made the emergency measures official on Sunday afternoon before the race, following Saturday’s track limit changes at Turn 12 and 13 to deter drivers from going over the new and harsher kerbs.

The Qatar GP gets under way at 6:00pm BST.

Live Text

Sort by
Oldest first
Norris moves up to sixth with a DRS-assisted move on Zhou on the main straight. 30 laps gone, 27 to go. Are you keeping up?
Verstappen is asked to pick up his pace but keep it sustainable by engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. Go faster, but not too fast.
Pit stop
Perez pits from third and serves his track limits penalty. He takes on a used set of mediums and tumbles down the order to 12th.
Albon pits and comes out ahead of Tsunoda but the AlphaTauri driver fights back and forces his way back into P14 at Turn 6. There are battles everywhere tonight!
Pit stop
Russell pits from second on lap 33, his third stop of the race, meaning he'll need to pit again before the end.
Verstappen's lead is up to 34s over Piastri who is back to second but the Red Bull driver is due to pit any lap now.
Pit stop
At the end of lap 34 Verstappen duly pits, switching his mediums for fresh hards, and comes back out in the lead.
Yellow flag
Alonso has a huge moment at Turn 2 and takes a trip across the gravel, dropping behind Russell in the process. But his rejoin has now been noted by the stewards, after he used an escape road to return to racing speed and fire his Aston Martin into the path of Leclerc.
Quote
"I'm not feeling well at all," says Sargeant in P18. Team principal Vowles offers the chance to retire the car but the American maintains he wants to press on and continue lapping.
Alonso is now officially under investigation for rejoining unsafely.
Verstappen's lead is 5.8s over Piastri, so down by just over a second from the start of the last stint. But with fresh rubber, Verstappen should be able to pull out his lead once again.
Vowles has reported Sargeant has made comment about throwing up in his helmet. He confirms the driver was fit and healthy at the start of the race, with this illness brought on by the conditions.
We are closing in on 18 laps to go which means the final pitstop window is approaching. Verstappen's lead is up to 7.1s over Piastri who has Norris 3.7s back.
Penalty
Perez has been handed another five second penalty for abusing track limits. Another sorry chapter to an underwhelming season for the Mexican.
Piastri's next pitstop will be no later than lap 43, so within four laps, which should see him to the finish.
Quote
"That's another five second penalty for track limits. This is hurting our race," Red Bull tell Perez with a clearly frustrated tone.
Stroll - who got a track limits penalty in the sprint on Saturday - has now been shown the warning flag. One more and he'll join Perez with a penalty.
None of the frontrunners have opted for the earliest point to make their final pitstop but we are steadily heading to the end game here. Verstappen's lead is up to 8.3s.
Quote
"I don't feel well man. I need to stop," says Sargeant. 

Williams respond to tell him there is no shame in this. It's hard not to feel sympathy for the American driver right now.
As Sargeant is wheeled back into the garage, he makes his frustration clear with a cry of, "Argh!"

The team quickly calm him but that is his race run.
Verstappen has got his lead up to double digits now at 10.5s, as Piastri pits on schedule at the end of lap 43. Norris is due in within the next two laps. The fight is between the two McLarens for second and third.
Penalty
There is Stroll's penalty for the second day running. Track limits are not his friend this weekend! The five seconds will be served during his final stop.
Penalty
And Gasly also has a five second penalty for track limits. He is currently P7.
Pit stop
Piastri pits from second, ditching his mediums for fresh hards in a speedy 2s pitstop, and he comes out in fourth place.
Norris pits a lap later than Piastri, he's going for the overcut. Will it work?
Pit stop
Norris, switching to fresh hards, exits the pitlane alongside Piastri but has to concede with less momentum into Turn 1. Piastri is third, with Russell due to pit again ahead of him, so the fight for second goes to the finish.
Penalty
A second track limits penalty for Gasly! He will serve 10 seconds at his next stop!
Verstappen laps Perez. Those two were in a title fight at the start of the weekend. Another nightmare weekend for the Mexican.
Penalty
Albon is now under investigation for track limits. And the penalty arrives - five seconds for the Williams driver.
Norris is told over team radio to hold position behind Piastri with 10 laps to go. He's trying to convince McLaren to let them race. They are split by 2s.
Stopwatch
Norris makes his point on the track by putting in a new fastest lap of the race with a 1m24.842s. McLaren is worried about Russell pitting again, switching to softs, and attacking them both late on.
Quote
"Kevin, we need Bravo 10, position 4," say Haas. 

"Argh! It doesn't make sense!" is the cry in response from Magnussen. 

What do we think that mode does?
Verstappen has this race in the bag, if anyone was worried. He leads by 25s from Russell and 34s from Piastri so has plenty of time in hand to pit for the last time and return to the lead.
Pit stop
With six laps to go Russell pits for the fourth time in the race, swaps his hards for softs, and comes out in fourth. He'll chase the McLarens to the end.
Leader Verstappen pits a lap later, ditching hards for mediums, but it is a slow 4.1s stop. No matter, he comes out in the lead again with Piastri only just able to see him ahead on the main straight.
Into the final five laps, Verstappen leads by 3.8s from Piastri with Norris a further 1.5s back. Russell has 18s to find to catch Norris, which seems a massive ask.
Battling for the final points paying position, Gasly goes around the outside of Stroll at Turn 1 but he runs off the track when completing the move. It's already under investigation and the position will likely have to be conceded back.
Complicating the matter, however, Perez is now all over the gearbox of Stroll.
Gasly hands back the position but Perez makes his way past the Frenchman too. Stroll is defending for his life from Red Bull driver, Perez.
Penalty
And now Stroll gets another five second penalty for track limits.

By: Autosport Staff

Published: