Giles Richards’ race report is here:
Thanks a lot for reading and for all the emails. That was a terrible race in many ways, but for all that, I will be tuning in for the season finale next week given the potential for drama … it’s a funny old game.
Good night.
Updated
“David Coulthard even said yesterday that if there was a safety car early, everyone would pit,” emails Kevin.
”They should’ve watched Channel 4 highlights. Marginal gains.”
“It’s tough,” says Norris. “We have to have faith in the team. It was a gamble. Now it’s the wrong decision. We didn’t do a good job today … not our finest day but that’s life.
“It’s nothing to do with the team trying to play fair [by treating both drivers the same]. Nothing to do with it. Everyone goes on about that.
“Red Bull did a better job as a team. They made the right call. We know why we didn’t make the right decision. You can’t get them all right. If the team does their job, and I do mine, we’ll be fine.”
Updated
“It’s a disappointing result overall,” says Andrea Stella of McLaren. “We lost the victory with Oscar and the podium with Lando, definitely not what we wanted. We have to review the decision during the safety car on lap seven
“It was a decision not to pit. We didn’t expect everyone else to pit. It would have been the right decision to pit, when you are the lead car, you don’t know what everyone else is going to do.
“It was a decision. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t the correct decision.
“The [potential] flexibility was – any other safety car would put us in a very strong position.
“It worked well for everyone, stopping at lap seven. That’s what it is. We thought the pace in the car might allow us to open enough of a gap. We could not exploit the pace of the car. Not the desired outcome.
“You need to have a plan for the safety car. When it’s so late in a lap, it doesn’t give you a chance … but it’s not an excuse.
“We understand Oscar being extremely disappointed. He’s been fast, solid, consistent, he’s done everything right. Likewise Lando. We want to keep the options open for all our drivers.
“It is still in our hands. It comes down to the quality of our work … we will go very determined into the finale of this season.”
Updated
“I was thinking,” emails Michael. (That’s always dangerous, by the way.)
“ … McLaren must have a plan, a strategy where they valued having their cars in P1 and P2 more than the pit stop. Surely there is a plan, right?
“Narrator voice: “There was no plan.”
“If one were of a conspiracy mindset, a grand choreographing of this and the previous race would seem eminently plausible,” writes Darryl. “A big fix taking the title fight to the final race all for “entertainment” value? Or of course one could just put it all down to the sheer stupidity that McLaren and their drivers have shown at crucial points all season.”
“Looking like another F1 stitch up in Abu Dhabi to me,” emails John.
“Discuss.”
Oh, I am sure they (we?) will.
“And the dorsal fin is right behind McLaren,” emails Joris van Wijk.
Updated
Latest drivers' standings: top three
Norris 408pts
Verstappen 396pts
Piastri 392pts
Updated
“I’m so happy,” says Carlos Sainz of Williams. “So proud of the whole team. We came into this weekend thinking it would be the most difficult of the year … I was super quick. We nailed the pace, the start, the strategy, I could not be more proud. We got everything right today. We improved in so many areas. There were opportunities today and we grabbed all of them. I am over the moon.”
Piastri has a chat: “We didn’t get it right tonight. I drove the best race I could, as fast as I could, it wasn’t to be tonight.
“In hindsight it’s pretty obvious what we would have done [under the safety car]. We’ll discuss it as a team.
“It’s been a good weekend, the pace has been strong, it’s a little bit tough to swallow at the moment.”
“This was an incredible race for us,” says Verstappen. “We made the right call as a team under the safety car. Super happy to win. We stay in the fight to the end. Incredible. For us it was a very strong race. It was a tough weekend.”
“That’s an interesting move,” Verstappen adds of McLaren’s decision not to pit under the early safety car. “I knew then we had a bit of a gap … still, you have to keep the tyres alive.
“It’s all possible now. We’ll see. I don’t really worry about it too much.”
So Verstappen, going into Abu Dhabi, is 12pts down on Norris.
“I would love to be in the McLaren debrief,” says Karun Chandhok.
This all feels pretty terrible for McLaren. It’s going to be a tough week.
Updated
Qatar GP result
Verstappen
Piastri
Sainz
Norris
Antonelli
Russell
Alonso
Leclerc
Lawson
Tsunoda
Albon
Hamilton
Bortoleto
Colapinto
Ocon
Gasly
Stroll
Hadjar
Bearman
Hulkenberg
“Speechless,” says Piastri. “I don’t have any words.”
He ain’t happy. And quite rightly.
“Not sure what happened to Antonelli, Max … it looks like he just pulled over and let him through,” says someone on the Red Bull team of Norris taking fourth.
“Regardless of that we will fight to the end. Well done Max.”
“Well done on the strategy,” says Verstappen. “That’s a very lovely race, well done everyone,” says Verstappen.
Max Verstappen wins the Qatar grand prix
His third consecutive win in Qatar.
Updated
Lap 57/57: Norris moves up to fourth after Antonelli runs wide! That could be big.
Lap 56/57: An email titled: “Re. F1 going downhill”
“I think you’ve hit upon an idea there!” writes Dan. “Works for skiing anyway.”
Lap 55/57:
Verstappen
Piastri +9.9sec
Sainz
Antonelli
Norris
Russell
Alonso
Leclerc
Lawson
Tsunoda
Lap 54/57: The commentators are starting to discuss permutations for the final race. Norris is down in fifth. Verstappen is 10.9sec ahead of Piastri in second.
Norris has eight second places, which may prove important in certain scenarios.
Lap 53/57: F1 may well have been going downhill since 1979. But then again, who hasn’t?
Updated
Lap 53/57: “It may well be that 1mm wear on a skid block costs Norris the championship,” emails Richard. “Results changed long after the race. This is not a spectator sport.
“Maybe standing on the penultimate corner at Dijon in 1979 raised my expectations, but F1 has been going downhill ever since.”
Lap 52/57:
The top five –
Verstappen
Piastri +12sec
Sainz +10sec
Antonelli +2.7sec
Norris +.5sec
Updated
Lap 51/57: So in fairness, Piastri is shaving time off Verstappen’s lead, but six more laps isn’t going to be enough to make a difference.
Norris is still in fifth.
Lap 50/57: Piastri has reduced the gap to 12.9sec.
Lap 48/57: Norris is in fifth, after his second stop, trying to get past Sainz.
Verstappen leads by 14.3sec. He is home and hosed unless something astonishing happens.
“Just use your pace now,” Piastri is told.
This is ludicrous. They (McLaren) have completely messed this up. The commentators have been trying their best to maintain interest, and have farcically been hoping for another safety car to spice things up.
“If the race finished now, Verstappen would be 10 points behind Norris in the title race,” says Brundle.
Updated
Lap 47/57: “I gave up F1 a while ago,” writes Tim. “The new tracks are designed by the same guy and are similar and boring. The business seems to hate the old fun demanding tracks.”
Lap 45/57: Now Verstappen, Norris and Piastri have all pitted twice.
The F1 website says they are all on medium tyres, to perhaps the info about hard tyres for Piastri was wrong?
Lap 45/57: “Could the McLarens do the same thing teams do in Monaco,” emails Michael. “Norris slows down so Piastri can pit, and then reverse?”
An F1 car cannot reverse. (joking!)
Lap 43/57: Piastri comes in for hard tyres. That’s hard tyres. A 1.8sec stop.
Norris leads. Then Verstappen. Then Piastri.
“OK Max,” Verstappen is told on radio. “It’s Oscar who is pitted early, and is looking to chase you down now.”
THE RACE IS ON! (Or is it?)
Updated
Lap 42/57: Piastri is plotting something on the radio with him team. Are they going to pit and put soft tyres on?
Lap 41/57: Surely it would have been common sense for McLaren to pit if literally everyone else in the race pitted during the safety car? Even a relative F1 ignoramus like me can see that.
Lap 40/57: The Sky commentators have admitted defeat, and pointed out that Verstappen is going to win.
You were all well ahead of the game with your emails, so well done.
Updated
Lap 39/57: “The races are becoming more about technical errors than real racing,” emails Gordon. “We need more tracks where the drivers have a chance of really fighting for position and fewer that are predetermined by qualifying order barring penalties and poor pit lane decisions. It’s getting boring.”
Yes.
Top 10 right now:
Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris +7sec
Max Verstappen +2sec
Carlos Sainz
George Russell
Kimi Antonelli
Fernando Alonso
Isack Hadjar
Charles Leclerc
Lance Stroll
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.
Top five as it stands
Piastri
Norris +4.7sec
Verstappen +8.1sec
Sainz +27sec
Antonelli +33sec
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.
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
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 …
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.
Lap 28/57: Verstappen leads.
Verstappen +14.8sec
Sainz
Antonelli
Piastri
Norris
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
Lap 25/57: Piastri pits. Norris leads.
Piastri has gone to medium tyres.
Updated
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.”
Lap 23/57: Keep the emails coming. Tell me your views!
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
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
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
Lap 19/57: “Max is going to win today. Total pit-stop blunder by McLaren,” emails Ulrich. “Will they never learn?”
Updated
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.
Lap 16/57: Leclerc is ninth, Hamilton is 14th. It’s another poor weekend for the Ferraris who have struggled throughout.
Lap 15/57: Gasly is back in the race after that crash. But it’s an early bath for Hulkenberg.
Lap 13/57:
Top 10 –
Piastri +2sec
Norris
Verstappen
Sainz
Antonelli
Alonso
Hadjar
Russell
Leclerc
Bearman
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
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
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
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.”
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 is out. Verstappen comes into the pits and he’s not the only one …
Updated
Lap 7/57: Piastri’s lead is up to 2.6sec.
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 unexpected happens.
Updated
Lap 3/57:
The top 10 –
Piastri +2sec
Verstappen
Norris
Antonelli
Sainz
Alonso
Russell
Hadjar
Gasly
Hulkenburt
Updated
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.
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
Formation lap done. Cars are ready, while Franco Colapinto heads for the pits to start from there.
David Beckham and Gary Neville are here, too!
Anyway, the cars are out on track. We are seconds away from lights out.
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
It’s a 57-lap race. The race has been won from pole twice out of the three that have been run since 2021.
Gordon Ramsay, the uber-celebrity chef, reckons it’s in the bag for Norris tonight, and he can enjoy his title next weekend.
“The drivers need to focus on what they control, which is turn one,” says pundit Jamie Chadwick.
Updated
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.”
How is Norris feeling?
“Feeling all good,” he says cheerfully, striding past Brundle.
“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.
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.
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
John Brewin has West Ham v Liverpool here, by the way:
If Norris outscores his teammate Piastri by four points, he’s the champ.
Updated
Who could forget 2021, when Hamilton v Verstappen went right down to the wire?
The famous Martin Brundle grid walk is coming right up!
“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.”
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.
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.
You can feast your eyes on yesterday’s sprint race and qualifying blog here:
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
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.
Updated
