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

George Russell will start from pole position for the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix. Here's how and when you can watch the race.

Mercedes driver Russell inherited pole position after a one-place grid drop was handed to Max Verstappen for driving unnecessarily slowly and causing Russell to take evasive action during a Q3 preparation lap.

Red Bull's Verstappen had initially taken his first F1 pole since June, as his 1m20.520s final effort in Q3 put him 0.055s clear of Russell, but will instead start second with Russell moving up to the top spot.

The second row is a McLaren lockout, with Lando Norris heading Oscar Piastri after the latter took victory in the earlier sprint race.

Piastri had trailed Norris throughout while defending from Russell, but Norris allowed the Australian through out of the final corner to return Piastri's gesture from Brazil when he had ceded sprint victory to Norris.

Charles Leclerc is the highest placed Ferrari in fifth, ahead of his 2025 team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the soon-to-be-former Mercedes driver claiming "I've still got it" after remarking on Friday that "I'm definitely not fast anymore”.

The second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen in the Haas complete the top 10.

When is the F1 Qatar Grand Prix?

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, slows down to let Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38 (Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images)

Date: Sunday 1 December 2024
Start time: 7:00pm local time/4:00pm GMT

The 23rd round of the 2024 F1 season, the Qatar GP, gets under way at 7:00pm local time on Sunday 1 December.

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 £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99 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 2:30pm GMT, ahead of the race start at 4:00pm GMT.

Channels: Sky Sports F1
Start time: 2:30pm GMT Sunday 1 December 2024

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

When can I watch the F1 Qatar GP highlights?

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20 (Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images)

In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Qatar GP at 9:00pm GMT on Sunday. The full programme will run for two and a half hours, 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 2024 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: 9:00pm GMT, Sunday 1 December 2024

Will the F1 Las Vegas GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2024 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 4:00pm GMT on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Qatar GP

Current weather forecasts predict dry and warm conditions in Qatar, with a low chance of rain and moderate winds. The temperature is expected to be 21 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 308.611 km.

F1 Qatar GP qualifying result

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

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Main Information Additional Data 1  -  2
Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Time	km/h
1	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	1'20.520	242.280
2	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.055 1'20.575	242.114
3	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes	+0.252 1'20.772	241.524
4	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	+0.309 1'20.829	241.353
5	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.332 1'20.852	241.285
6	L. Hamilton Mercedes	44		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.491 1'21.011	240.811
7	C. Sainz Ferrari	55		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.521 1'21.041	240.722
8	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+0.731 1'21.251	240.100
9	S. Perez Red Bull Racing	11		Red Bull	Red Bull	+0.905 1'21.425	239.587
10	K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team	20		Haas	Ferrari	+0.980 1'21.500	239.366
11	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	+0.917 1'21.437	239.552
12	Z. Guanyu Sauber	24		Sauber	Ferrari	+0.981 1'21.501	239.363
13	V. Bottas Sauber	77		Sauber	Ferrari	+1.211 1'21.731	238.690
14	Y. Tsunoda RB	22		RB	Red Bull	+1.251 1'21.771	238.573
15	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+1.391 1'21.911	238.165
16	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	+1.870 1'22.390	236.781
17	L. Lawson RB	30		RB	Red Bull	+1.891 1'22.411	236.720
18	N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team	27		Haas	Ferrari	+1.922 1'22.442	236.631
19	F. Colapinto Williams	43		Williams	Mercedes	+2.074 1'22.594	236.196
20	E. Ocon Alpine	31		Alpine	Renault	+2.194 1'22.714	235.853
View full results

In this article

Stefan Mackley

Formula 1

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