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Formula 1
Qatar GP
F1 Qatar GP Live Commentary and Updates – Sprint Quali & Race
Saturday's action from the 17th round of the 2023 Formula 1 season
Max Verstappen looks set to wrap up his third F1 world title during the sprint race, as he only needs to 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.
An unexpected talking point is the Pirelli tyres which suffered sidewall damage running over the new style of kerbs used at the Qatar track on Friday.
It has triggered a change to track limits at Turn 12-13 and an additional 10-minute practice session at 2pm BST, which has delayed the start of sprint qualifying to 2:20pm BST.
The sprint race is still scheduled to start at 6:30pm BST.
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It appears all is well, Piastri will be on pole for the Qatar sprint race ahead of McLaren team-mate Norris with Verstappen in third. In terms of the world title picture, that's all good for the Red Bull driver who only needs to finish sixth or better in the sprint to seal the title.
After being interviewed in 'third' yesterday before being dropped down the order, Piastri is gingerly celebrating his sprint pole. This is a bit like VAR ruling on a goal while the team celebrates.
Here come the post-qualifying lap time deletions! Alonso loses his best Q3 lap and drops from fifth to ninth. Will there be any further drops like yesterday?
Norris has also been noted for not following the maximum delta lap time... you know the rest. It'll all shake out post-qualifying.
After misery for McLaren in Q3 yesterday, with both drivers losing their best laps to track limits, it is double delight for the Woking team today with a front row lockout.
Checkered flag
Piastri is on pole for the Qatar GP! He puts in a 1m24.454s to move ahead of Norris and the Brit fails to reply as he goes wide at the final corner. McLaren 1-2!
Verstappen goes third with a 1m24.646s - he cannot beat either McLaren!
Russell goes third, three-tenths off the McLarens, as Perez gets a lap time deleted so cannot improve.
Stopwatch
Here come the McLarens! Piastri goes top for a few seconds before Norris puts in a 1m24.536s! Meanwhile Leclerc gets another lap time deleted. Two minutes to go, it is all or nothing now.
Stopwatch
Perez beats Sainz with a 1m25.382s. Leclerc also had his first Q3 lap time deleted for track limits but he backed out of that lap knowing his fate.
It turns out, Verstappen can beat himself, as his lap time is deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 5. So Sainz moves on to provisional pole.
Stopwatch
Verstappen sets the provisional pole time of 1m24.543s. Can anyone beat that?
Perez also nips out, as the other six Q3 contenders stay in the pits focused on a one-and-down approach.
Green flag
Verstappen heads out, joined by both Ferrari drivers as the trio of early runners.
Q3 sprint shootout time, an eight-minute blast to decide the top 10. Verstappen is all on his own sitting at pitlane exit waiting for the session to start.
There are no further late lap time deletions, so the top 10 shootout is set. But the maximum delta time issue pops up once again, this time Russell and Gasly have been noted about it.
Out in Q2: P11 Gasly, P12 Hamilton, P13 Bottas, P14 Lawson, P15 Zhou.
Checkered flag
Hulkenberg makes his last lap count as he jumps to ninth and that pushes Gasly out in 11th.
And Sainz knocks out Hamilton, as the Ferrari driver goes seventh to push Hamilton to 11th.
Hamilton gets his final lap time deleted so he drops to 10th and right on the edge of dropping out.
The top two of Norris and Verstappen are in the pits confident of their progression. The rest are on their final laps in Q2 so it is now or never.
Sainz gets his lap time deleted which pushes him back down to 13th. Is a double Q2 exit on for the Spaniard?
The Ferrari pair both jump out of the Q2 drop zone, Leclerc up to fourth, but Sainz is on the bubble in 10th with two minutes to go.
Stopwatch
Norris pushes Verstappen off top spot with a 1m24.947s. Everyone is on mediums for this session, so that's a handy lap from the McLaren driver.
Verstappen, who else, leads the early runners with a 1m25.199s while Hamilton and Leclerc get their first lap time deleted for, you guessed it, track limits.
Already into the final seven minutes of Q2, that's how quick these sessions zip by, but five drivers are still yet to leave the pits.
Green flag
Anyway, off we go with Q2. Russell leads out the pack from Hamilton and Sainz.
Hamilton, Gasly, Lawson, Sargeant, Tsunoda, Stroll and Albon are all in the dock this time around, with the incidents to be investigated after qualifying.
The FIA stewards are also busy with drivers failing to follow the maximum delta lap time. This was also a feature of Friday qualifying, but everyone avoided a penalty due to it being triggered by drivers trying to avoid blocking others on quick laps.
By our reckoning, everyone who dropped out in Q1 lost a personal best due to track limits. Sargeant lost all of his representative laps, which is why his 'best' was over 30s off the rest.
Track limit pings coming thick and fast, and the final order to drop out in Q1 is: P16 Stroll, P17 Albon, P18 Tsunoda, P19 Magnussen, P20 Sargeant.
No! Leclerc and then Tsunoda improve to push Sargeant out.
Russell goes quickest overall as team-mate Hamilton improves to ninth. Sargeant lifts himself out of the drop zone to 15th but can he hang on?
Zhou jumps out of the drop zone into 12th and pushes Leclerc into danger in 16th.
Right, final lap time for Q1. It appears the danger areas are Turn 5 with the wind blowing cars off the track and Turn 13 a few drivers aren't totally dialled in to the track changes.
Hamilton and Zhou are the next to get lap times deleted for track limits at Turn 13. Hamilton drops to 11th, Zhou last with no lap time to his name.
The next flurry of laps tick by and Norris goes second from Russell, Hamilton and Piastri. The bottom five in danger are Magnussen, Lawson, Stroll, Sargeant and Zhou.
Stopwatch
Verstappen, as is customary, goes fastest with a 1m25.510s, while Gasly, who had jumped to second, drops down as he has a lap time deleted for track limits at Turn 13. Did he not learn anything from that 10-minute session.
All the drivers are now on the track with just under six minutes to go in Q1. Hulkenberg and Sargeant have had lap times deleted for track limits.
Stopwatch
Russell's answer to his earlier question is definitely to get on with it, as he shoots to the top of the times with a 1m26.359s.
By: Autosport Staff
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