Formula One: Qatar Grand Prix 2025 – live updates

5.00pm GMT Lap 37/57: “This is the bit of the race where we need to be quicker than Max,” McLaren’s drivers are told over the radio. Which may be easier said than done. 4.56pm GMT Top five as it stands Piastri Norris +4.7sec Verstappen +8.1sec Sainz +27sec Antonelli +33sec 4.55pm GMT Lap 33/57: LOADS of cars pitted just then. It looked like George Russell came close to a shunt of some kind as one of the Racing Bulls came in past him just as he finished his stop. Ted Kravitz says Russell in fact came close to hitting someone in the pit lane. Perhaps the stewards will have a look at it. 4.53pm GMT Lap 32/57: “Good afternoon,” writes Bill Preston, which seems a fair enough opening gambit. “With all the massive costs involved in the design and construction of modern racing tracks, surely there’s employment enough for someone to say “There isn’t sufficient space or safety margin with what we have for drivers to get stomp on and then with style, panache, and thrilling heroics have a several way tussle for the lead”? “At least Monaco has boats and stuff. “I hope Norris does well, but won’t begrudge Verstappen a win. “Yours, grumpily …” Updated at 4.54pm GMT 4.51pm GMT Lap 32/57: Lando Norris has been notified about breaching track limits twice. One more and he gets an official warning, two more and it’s a five-second penalty. (Says the expert, Brundle.) Meanwhile, Verstappen is going to pit … 4.50pm GMT Lap 30/57: “Thanks for the coverage - my only channel to follow the F1 unbiased,” writes Peter. “It looks like McLaren’s strategic mishap will make Abu Dabi the F1 thriller of the year, like it was with Lewis and Max having all to play for.” Yes, it’s shaping up to be a Verstappen v Hamilton thriller, like the 2021 vintage. Related: Wolff and Horner’s rivalry is just as fierce as Hamilton v Verstappen | Luke McLaughlin 4.47pm GMT Lap 28/57: Verstappen leads. Verstappen +14.8sec Sainz Antonelli Piastri Norris 4.44pm GMT Lap 26/57: Norris pits, a quick one at 2.2sec. He reemerges on to the track, and only just holds off Alonso! Norris is fifth. Alonso sixth. “That brings McLaren back into play a little bit,” insists Brundle. Updated at 4.50pm GMT 4.41pm GMT Lap 25/57: Piastri pits. Norris leads. Piastri has gone to medium tyres. Updated at 4.44pm GMT 4.41pm GMT Lap 24/57: “Max is a fierce defender, and McLaren may have just made a massive blunder,” emails Ian. “I can somewhat see the argument they wanted to make, but with these tyre limits, it simply wasn’t the right call. The Dutch Lion may stay in this championship race til the end.” 4.39pm GMT Lap 23/57: Keep the emails coming. Tell me your views! 4.39pm GMT Lap 23/57: “If Norris wins he’s the champion!” says Croft on commentary. That is a big if, based on what we’re looking at. Updated at 4.40pm GMT 4.36pm GMT Lap 21/57: “However much excitement Croft and Brundle try to manufacture from this, the result seems clear to me. Verstappen will win,” emails James. “The McLarens need to stop twice. Verstappen, and everyone else, only need to stop once more. Given races at this track are always a procession, all Verstappen has to do is manage his tyres and stay within 25 seconds of the McLarens. After all stops he’ll be ahead on a track that’s notoriously difficult to pass on.” Updated at 4.38pm GMT 4.34pm GMT Lap 20/57: I mean sure, you can argue there is intrigue in tyre and pitstop strategy, but the emphasis on it illustrates the sheer lack of drama elsewhere in this race. I sincerely hope I eat my words and it’s exciting at the end, but as it stands, Verstappen overtaking Norris into turn one is as thrilling as it’s going to get. Updated at 4.35pm GMT 4.32pm GMT Lap 19/57: “Max is going to win today. Total pit-stop blunder by McLaren,” emails Ulrich. “Will they never learn?” Updated at 4.33pm GMT 4.31pm GMT Lap 17/57: The only cars in the race who have not pitted are the McLarens. “A safety car in the next seven or eight laps would take a lot of pressure off the McLaren situation,” says Brundle. It seems a bit farcical that none of this is about actual driving skill. 4.30pm GMT Lap 16/57: Leclerc is ninth, Hamilton is 14th. It’s another poor weekend for the Ferraris who have struggled throughout. 4.28pm GMT Lap 15/57: Gasly is back in the race after that crash. But it’s an early bath for Hulkenberg. 4.26pm GMT Lap 13/57: Top 10 – Piastri +2secNorrisVerstappenSainzAntonelliAlonsoHadjarRussellLeclercBearman 4.23pm GMT Lap 12/57: Up front, Piastri leads by 1.2sec and seems to be pulling away from his teammate Norris. “The teams are limited on 25 laps each for each set of tyres,” explains Brundle. “McLaren have to get rid of these medium tyres at lap 25, they have to get everything out of them before that.” Updated at 4.24pm GMT 4.22pm GMT Lap 10/57: So Norris is now second to Piastri following Verstappen’s pitstop during the safety car. The received wisdom is that the safety car has worked out horribly for McLaren. “It feels to me that McLaren have missed a trick,” says Brundle on commentary. What do you think? Email me. Updated at 4.22pm GMT 4.20pm GMT Lap 10/57: McLaren have chosen not to pit during the safety car. Verstappen did, and has medium tyres on, that are two laps old right now. “Expect the McLarens to push hard after the restart” Verstappen is told over the radio. Hulkenberg’s car is being hauled off the track now. The safety car is about to end. Updated at 4.33pm GMT 4.18pm GMT Lap 9/57: Gasly was right on Hulkenberg’s tail into the corner. Hulkenberg’s rear right corner was clipped by Gasly’s front left wing. “I can’t believe this,” Hulkenberg says on the radio. *expletive bleeped out* “Unbelievable. I gave [Gasly] him loads of space.” 4.14pm GMT Hulkenberg crashes into Gasly! Hulkenberg and Gasly have had a coming together by turn two. Hulkenberg of Sauber is out of the race. Gasly is limping to the pits. The safety car it out. Verstappen comes into the pits and he’s not the only one … Updated at 4.21pm GMT 4.13pm GMT Lap 7/57: Piastri’s lead is up to 2.6sec. 4.11pm GMT Lap 5/57: Piastri leads by 2.1sec now. Norris is 4sec down in third. We are going to witness a processional win for Piastri unless something majorly unexpected happens. 4.07pm GMT Lap 3/57: The top 10 – Piastri +2secVerstappenNorrisAntonelliSainzAlonsoRussellHadjarGaslyHulkenburt Updated at 4.09pm GMT 4.06pm GMT Lap 2/57: Piastri leads by 1.5sec. He’ll be extremely happy that the ball in his court. No major errors from here and he knows, barring events beyond his control such as mechanicals, that the title race is going down to Abu Dhabi next week. 4.04pm GMT Lights out! Piastri leads, a perfect start. Verstappen takes second from Norris, who looks quick off the mark, but ultimately gets a relatively poor start. Verstappen overtaking Norris into turn one could be very significant … Updated at 4.15pm GMT 4.03pm GMT Formation lap done. Cars are ready, while Franco Colapinto heads for the pits to start from there. 4.02pm GMT David Beckham and Gary Neville are here, too! Anyway, the cars are out on track. We are seconds away from lights out. 4.01pm GMT Starting grid Here’s how they line up: Oscar Piastri Lando Norris Max Verstappen George Russell Kimi Antonelli Isack Hadjar Carlos Sainz Fernando Alonso Pierre Gasly Charles Leclerc Nico Hulkenberg Liam Lawson Oliver Bearman Alexander Albon Yuki Tsunoda Esteban Ocon Lewis Hamilton Lance Stroll Gabriel Bortoleto Franco Colapinto Updated at 4.15pm GMT 3.58pm GMT It’s a 57-lap race. The race has been won from pole twice out of the three that have been run since 2021. 3.54pm GMT Gordon Ramsay, the uber-celebrity chef, reckons it’s in the bag for Norris tonight, and he can enjoy his title next weekend. 3.51pm GMT “The drivers need to focus on what they control, which is turn one,” says pundit Jamie Chadwick. Updated at 3.51pm GMT 3.47pm GMT Will it be another P1 for Piastri? “I sure hope so, that’s the plan,” he says. How are things between him and teammate Norris? “I mean, the same as always … we are fighting for a win, and a championship, we’ll race each other like we always have done.” 3.46pm GMT How is Norris feeling? “Feeling all good,” he says cheerfully, striding past Brundle. 3.45pm GMT “This could be ugly,” emails Bill. “Norris isn’t the greatest starter in the world, and he and Piastri could take each other out on the first corner. It wouldn’t surprise me. Plus, Verstappen will have his elbows out so far, they’ll be like wings. His aggressiveness gets to Norris at the best of times. But if Lando can get away cleanly, then the race and probably the championship are his. That certainly seems to be what the team wants. So maybe a strategically sloppy pitstop for Piastri? Nah … they would never do that.” Thanks Bill. 3.44pm GMT How is Max Verstappen? “All good. Like always.” You always look so relaxed, says Brundle. Are there any nerves? “Not at all. Just want to have a good time out there. Hopefully we’ll have a good one. We’ll do our best.” Better to be the hunter than the hunted, I suppose. 3.42pm GMT “Very good! Excited!” says Novak Djokovic, when asked how he is. Has he been sending some tennis balls down to Zak Brown? “Yes I have. He’s been good! He’s been terrific! “He’s been very relaxed, but now it’s about laser focus … I’m trying to soak it all in, the energy is incredible.” Are there things he can take from F1 to tennis? “The first thing that strikes me is, how well it’s organised, how many things that are combined with sport and entertainment, to leave everybody speechless.” And with that he’s gone. Updated at 3.49pm GMT 3.39pm GMT “I’m so happy to be here,” says Maya Jama, before revealing she was obliged to wear trainers on the grid due to a ban on open-toed shoes. “I’m with Red Bull today, hopefully we can make it to No 1, but we’ll see.” Updated at 3.47pm GMT 3.37pm GMT “Good luck to everyone, hopefully it’s decided tonight… what an event, what an occasion. These are the things you can do when you’re retired,” says Steven Gerrard to Brundle. “I wouldn’t want anyone near me in the tunnel before a big game,” Rio Ferdinand adds of the drivers rubbing shoulders on the start/finish straight. “But these guys are used to it.” Updated at 3.46pm GMT 3.37pm GMT “The Netflix documentary opened so many eyes, including my own,” says the actor and comedian Kevin Hart of ‘Drive to Survive’. “It’s wonderful to be here.” 3.34pm GMT John Brewin has West Ham v Liverpool here, by the way: Related: West Ham United v Liverpool: Premier League – live 3.32pm GMT If Norris outscores his teammate Piastri by four points, he’s the champ. Updated at 3.56pm GMT 3.32pm GMT Who could forget 2021, when Hamilton v Verstappen went right down to the wire? Related: Hamilton v Verstappen: six key flashpoints in their F1 title battle 3.30pm GMT The famous Martin Brundle grid walk is coming right up! 3.23pm GMT “I have pipped Oscar Piastri throughout,” says the Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft of the possible destiny of this season’s drivers’ title. “You know what a stubborn old man I am. I’m not changing now.” 3.21pm GMT Monaco, Las Vegas, Singapore. The list of pitstops on Lando Norris’ road to the top of Formula One is like a luxury travel agent’s catalogue. So when I was asked to trace the young man’s journey ahead of a weekend in which he could become the first British champion driver since Lewis Hamilton, my hopes were high. As the taxi pulled up outside the Clay Pigeon Raceway in Dorchester, however, my excitement was taken down a few gears. It may seem an inauspicious place to blood the talent of those who will become some of the most glamorous, fiery competitors in sport, but here, in the shadow of an industrial estate not far from Yeovil, is where a growing number of Formula One stars are made. Related: Looking for Lando: My crash course at the track where F1 star Norris learned to drive 3.18pm GMT Mathematically, Norris could finish as low as eighth and still be champion. But we are unlikely to need permutations that complex. Personally I think Norris looks and sounds pretty chilled, and he remains confident of sealing the title, despite the drama of last week’s disqualification. 3.15pm GMT You can feast your eyes on yesterday’s sprint race and qualifying blog here: Related: Piastri claims Qatar GP pole with Norris alongside: F1 qualifying – as it happened 3.13pm GMT Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, says it’s “business as usual”. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, said something about trying to get the best possible start. What do you think will happen today? You can email me. Updated at 3.13pm GMT 3.00pm GMT Preamble Lando Norris will be world champion for the first time if he wins today. Though given the drama of recent weeks, most notably the disqualification of both McLarens from the Las Vegas GP, it would be little surprise if the drivers’ title goes down to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next week. More importantly for the destiny of the title, Piastri won yesterday’s sprint race, trimming Norris’s title lead to 22 points and taking pole position: so he is strongly fancied to take the chequered flag later. Max Verstappen of Red Bull isn’t out of contention, either, but will need the cards to fall in his favour. We can dig into the permutations a bit more but if Norris is at least 25 points ahead of Max Verstappen in a few hours, and 26 or more in front of his teammate Oscar Piastri, he is champion … could we see a new name on that illustrious list today? Lights out: 4pm UK time. Related: Piastri pips Norris to Qatar GP pole after victory in sprint race closes title gap Updated at 3.08pm GMT