F1 Qatar GP live commentary and updates - Sprint Qualifying

Lawson, Hamilton, Colapinto, Antonelli and Russell are in the dropzone as it stands.

Four minutes to go and still no fast runs from Mercedes duo Russell and Antonelli. That is quite a risk to leave it so late.

Norris goes top: 1m21.621s.

Piastri is second, 0.192s in arrears. 

Then Alonso, Hadjar, Albon, all dumping Verstappen to P6.

We're on medium tyres for the first two segments. Max Verstappen is setting the tone with a 1m22.258s. But the McLarens still have to cross the line.

A startling statistic, Verstappen has won 13 sprints. The next best driver is Norris...on three.

It obviously helps that sprints became a regular thing just as Red Bull hit its dominant peak, but it's still telling.

This year Verstappen and Norris have snared two sprint wins apiece. And then there was of course that magical pole-to-flag victory for Lewis Hamilton in China. Doesn't that feel like a long time ago...

At 20:30 local Doha time, temperatures have dropped to 21 degrees air and 26 degrees track.

Certainly a far cry from the searing temperatures two years ago, when drivers were all but passing out left, right and centre.

But 5.419km Losail is still a very physical, demanding track with its barrage of high-speed, high-downforce corners.

Norris needs to gain two points on both Verstappen and Piastri to take the title this weekend.

With just one point separating each position in the top-8, the sprint won't be decisive, but it'll set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Piastri looked back on song in FP1 after a run of more difficult weekends.

I'm sure you know the drill by now, but just in case.

Three knockout sessions: SQ1 (12 mins), SQ2 (10 mins), and SQ3 (8 mins). Drivers must use medium tyres for SQ1 and SQ2, while nice and grippy soft tyres are on offer in SQ3.

The drivers are making the usual scurried hop from their driver rooms, inside the hospitality units, to the garage.

If this was a race in....most other places, that would be a stressful event involving all sorts of bodyguards to fend off VIPs. But it's rather quiet here in Doha.

If you sat out the first and only practice session of the weekend, then get up to speed here.

F1 Qatar GP: Piastri fastest in sole practice from Norris, Verstappen sixth

It very much looks like McLaren is on the front foot on the twisty Losail circuit, as anticipated. But you never know with that man Max Verstappen, do you?

Welcome

Hello and welcome to our coverage of sprint qualifying at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix.

It's the sixth and final sprint weekend of this seemingly never-ending 2025 season. But fortunately, there is still a drivers' championship on the line to keep us hooked.

Will it go all the way to Abu Dhabi? That feels very much in leader Lando Norris' hands, as he leads Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri by 24 points. A pole for tomorrow morning's sprint would be a good start if he wants to wrap it up this weekend.