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F1 Qatar Grand Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more

The Dutch driver celebrated sealing his third F1 world title by finishing second in Saturday night's Qatar sprint race, which was won by Oscar Piastri, and has the perfect opportunity to toast his championship triumph in Sunday’s grand prix.

PLUS: 10 moments that won Verstappen the 2023 Formula 1 title

But all teams and drivers could be given a potential strategy curveball from the outcome of the FIA and Pirelli investigation into the tyre sidewall issues, which forced track changes at Turn 12 and 13.

An option that has been mooted is forcing all drivers into three-stop strategies for the grand prix, with a maximum of 20 racing laps allowed per tyre set across the 57-lap race, while a final call is expected on Sunday before the race.

Verstappen will be joined on the front row by George Russell, with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton third alongside Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in fourth.

After a penalty for track limits infringements dropped him out of the points in the sprint race, lead Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc starts fifth ahead of the Qatar sprint winner Piastri, who dropped from third to sixth after Friday qualifying when his best lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon line up seventh and eighth in front of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, with Piastri's team-mate Lando Norris 10th after also having his best lap deleted for track limits on Friday.

When is the F1 Qatar Grand Prix?

Date: Sunday 8 October 2023
Start time: 6:00pm BST, 8:00pm local time

The 17th round of the 2023 F1 season, the Qatar GP at the Losail International Circuit, gets under way at 8:00pm local time (6:00pm BST) on Sunday 8 October.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, celebrates with Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing, his team after securing the 2023 world drivers championship title (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98 or a month membership of £34.99 per month.

How can I watch the F1 Qatar GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Qatar GP.

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, with pre-race coverage starting at 4:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1, ahead of the race start at 6:00pm BST.

• Channels: Sky Sports F1
• Start time: 4:30pm BST, Sunday 8 October 2023

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Qatar GP here.

When can I watch the F1 Qatar GP highlights?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Japanese GP at 11:00pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two hours and 25 minutes, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2023 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

• Channel: Channel 4
• Start time: 11:00pm BST, Sunday 8 October 2023

Ferrari mechanics on the grid (Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images)

Will the F1 Qatar GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.

Live coverage of the Qatar GP will start at 6:00pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Qatar GP

Current weather forecasts predict hot and dry conditions, with low winds and a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 35 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.

How many laps is the F1 Qatar GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 57 laps of the Losail International Circuit, covering a total race distance of 308.611km.

F1 Qatar GP starting grid

 
 
     
Driver Info
 
 
 
   
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Time km/h
1 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 Red Bull Red Bull 1'23.778 231.182
2 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 Mercedes Mercedes +0.441 229.971
3 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Mercedes 44 Mercedes Mercedes +0.527 229.737
4 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 Aston Martin Mercedes +0.591 229.562
5 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 Ferrari Ferrari +0.646 229.413
6 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 McLaren Mercedes +0.762 229.098
7 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 Alpine Renault +0.775 229.063
8 France E. Ocon Alpine 31 Alpine Renault +0.985 228.495
9 Finland V. Bottas Alfa Romeo 77 Alfa Romeo Ferrari +1.280 227.703
10 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 McLaren Mercedes    
11 Japan Y. Tsunoda AlphaTauri 22 AlphaTauri Red Bull +1.523 227.054
12 Spain C. Sainz Ferrari 55 Ferrari Ferrari +1.550 226.982
13 Mexico S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11 Red Bull Red Bull +1.684 226.627
14 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 Williams Mercedes +1.929 225.979
15 Germany N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27 Haas Ferrari +2.005 225.779
16 United States L. Sargeant Williams 2 Williams Mercedes +2.432 224.660
17 Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 Aston Martin Mercedes +2.567 224.309
18 New Zealand L. Lawson AlphaTauri 40 AlphaTauri Red Bull +2.857 223.558
19 Denmark K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team 20 Haas Ferrari +3.268 222.503
20 China Z. Guanyu Alfa Romeo 24 Alfa Romeo Ferrari +3.654 221.520
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