F1 Qatar GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race

We're going to bring the live text blog to a close there, but thank you as always for joining us. We will have plenty of news and reaction from the paddock to follow, after another entertaining grand prix to join the many that have gone before it in 2024. We hope that you will join us again next weekend, as we bring down the curtain on the year in Abu Dhabi. Goodbye!

It was a slow-burner, the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, but one that leaves us with no shortage of talking points. The delay in removing the mirror that led to the shower of debris; the stop-go penalty for Norris; Hamilton's desire to retire the car after a difficult race; Sauber's first belated points of the year. Where to begin? For starters, in case you missed any of the action, here is the full report: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-qatar-gp-race-report-10678363/10678363/ 

The podium finishers have lifted their trophies and liberally emptied their beverages. A good display, that.

Russell has been handed a five-second penalty for a safety car infringement, but such was his advantage over Gasly that it does not impact the results and he keeps fourth place.

Perez meanwhile has been placed under investigation for dangerous driving, which won't impact his result. We can only imagine it will be for steering into traffic as he attempted to rejoin following his spin ahead of the second restart, following which he immediately retired.

"Did you guys touch there?" asks Piastri as the drivers in the cool-down room watch footage of the second restart between Verstappen and Norris. "No, but it was very close," responds the Dutchman cooly.

Reflecting on his duel into Turn 1 with Norris at the second restart, Verstappen admits he tried something different with tyre warmup but struggled for traction onto the pit straight which meant things "got a bit spicy" with his McLaren rival. "But I think that's great to see," he adds.

Verstappen says "it's been a while in the dry to be this competitive" and is beaming at a job well done. That's his first dry-weather win since Barcelona in June.

Leclerc predicts it will be "very tight" with McLaren in Abu Dhabi though accepts turning around a 21-point deficit will be a big ask.

Leclerc says he would have signed straight away for second place if offered pre-weekend on a track that not especially suited to Ferrari's characteristics.

While today was not the result McLaren hoped for, it still has a 21-point lead over Ferrari. That will be a fascinating subplot to the Abu Dhabi finale next weekend.

Kevin Magnussen had an exciting race, involving numerous scraps with Albon, to finish ninth as Lando Norris rounded out the points. He took away fastest lap, but that is small consolation for a race that could have offered so much more had it not been for a 10s stop/go penalty for not slowing under yellow flags. He charged back into the points by passing Bottas, whose hopes of completing a double score for Sauber were dashed.

Alonso upheld Aston Martin honour with seventh, after Lance Stroll's early tangle with Alex Albon resulted in a penalty and then retirement. But the biggest cheers in the paddock tonight will come from Sauber after Zhou Guanyu finally ended its wait for points in 2024 by finishing eighth - and earned driver of the day from the fans for his trouble.

Gasly and Sainz trailed George Russell, who has an investigation looming over him for a safety car infringement. Today didn't really go to plan for the polesitter, who after being ushered wide by Verstappen into Turn 1 then lost out to Norris, and had his race scuppered by a slow right-rear change under green. 

The puncture meant Sainz ended up sixth at the flag, having to chase home Pierre Gasly - who was one of the major beneficiaries of pitting under the second safety car. His haul of 10 points constitutes a huge boost to Alpine's hopes of grabbing sixth in the constructors' championship, after Esteban Ocon was eliminated in a first corner shunt with Franco Colapinto as both were caught out by a spinning Nico Hulkenberg.

That debris resulted from Kevin Magnussen's wing mirror being shattered by Valtteri Bottas after laps of inactivity from race control. That will surely be a massive talking point after the race as it led to punctures for Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton - who had a messy race capped by a pitlane speeding penalty. 

It's a case of what might have been for McLaren; Piastri after losing out at the start had got back ahead of Leclerc when the race restarted, but then lost out again due to the timing of his pitstop under green coming one lap before race control threw a safety car for the mass of debris on the straight.

Verstappen was denied pole after qualifying, but he could not be denied tonight and wins by 6s over Leclerc, who ensures that Ferrari keeps the constructors' championship fight alive by beating Piastri to second.

Gasly does enough to hold off Sainz into Turn 1 on the final lap. Done deal in the fight for fifth?

Last lap for Max Verstappen, who is on his way to victory in Qatar.

Meanwhile an incident involving Russell has been noted for a safety car infringement. No shortage of talking points today.

Sainz has a long old look at Gasly into Turn 1, but the Alpine driver holds the place for now.

We've not talked too much about him, but Russell is on course for fourth place after a real topsy-turvy day. His race looked to be in tatters after that slow 7s stop and the time stuck behind Alonso before the safety cars, but the woes for others have helped him ascend the order.

As we say that, Norris dispatches Albon with very little effort. He's now closing on Bottas ready for a move under DRS on the pit straight next time around. 

Bottas has made his move and is in the top 10, but Norris is now on Albon's gearbox and will waste no time in progressing. 

Verstappen is continuing to pull away from Leclerc, with a 5.1s gap opened up now. This has been a very convincing performance from the world champion, who is set to end a long drought for Red Bull in the dry dating back to the Spanish GP.

But here comes Norris, closing in on the final points position. He is now 2.8s behind the Sauber. 

Bottas is closing on Albon. The soft rubber on the Williams has gone and Bottas' mediums are on song. 

Piastri is definitely pushing on with everything he has to catch Leclerc and dips two wheels into the gravel as he seeks to reclaim that second place.

That may be a tall order though for Gasly, as Sainz is looming large in his mirrors.

If Gasly can hold back Sainz to take fifth, that would be a haul of 10 points that would take Alpine back above Haas in the constructors' standings to sixth with a five-point advantage. Can Kevin Magnussen chip that back further by catching Zhou for eighth?

Verstappen's advantage over Leclerc is a handy 3.9s. Piastri after radioing his concerns over tyres earlier on is just 1.1s behind and could well have a go at taking back the position he lost by the Ferrari driver pitting under safety car.

"Retire the car mate. Park the car mate," Hamilton says. 

"Negative," respond Mercedes, fully aware that he must serve the penalty this evening to prevent it being carried into Abu Dhabi. 

Sainz now has a chance to bolster Ferrari's constructors' championship hopes further as he closes back onto the back of Gasly. He is firmly within DRS range of the Alpine currently running fifth.