F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Sprint qualifying schedule, start time and practice results
F1 live updates from practice at the Lusail International Circuit as Ferrari look to chase down McLaren
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Your support makes all the difference.F1 next heads to Lusail for the Qatar Grand Prix and the final sprint weekend of the 2024 season.
Max Verstappen secured the drivers’ world championship at the last race in Las Vegas, his fourth in a row, with Lando Norris unable to catch him at the two remaining rounds.
The main battle is now for the constructors’ championship. Leaders McLaren are just 24 points ahead of Ferrari, with Red Bull a further 29 points back.
Verstappen won last year’s race at the Lusail International Circuit, though Oscar Piastri did win the sprint race. This weekend will also be Lewis Hamilton’s penultimate race weekend for Mercedes.
Follow live updates from the Qatar Grand Prix:
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Charles Leclerc top of the timesheets!
Leclerc goes to the top in his Ferrari, with Verstappen now P2 and Gasly stil playing it large with the big boys in P3!
4-10: Norris, Sainz Russell, Tsunoda, Albon, Hulkenberg, Hamilton
Most cars still on mediums, for now, with the soft tyre running likely to come towards the end of the session!
30 minutes to go in FP1!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Fernando Alonso almost hits Carlos Sainz!
“I nearly crashed, everyone slowed down!”
Almost a big incident at turns 4-5!
Needless to say, it’s busy out on track right now with every driver trying to utilise every single minute of practice!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Max Verstappen up to P1!
And by three-tenths to George Russell’s new time for second - Verstappen into the 1:23s now.
Pierre Gasly up to fourth.
45:00 to go in FP1.
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: George Russell quickest early on
The medium compound is the tyre of choice in the first 10-15 minutes of practice, with George Russell picking up where he left off in Las Vegas with the fastest time so far of a 1:24:901, 0.076 secs quicker than Lando Norris in second.
Charles Leclerc in third early on, but that’s on the hard tyre!
4-10: Bottas, Verstappen, Albon, Gasly, Ocon, Hamilton, Sainz
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: FP1 underway!
We have cars on track in Qatar, on the penultimate weekend of the 2024 season!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: We’re just five minutes from practice in Lusail!
It’s just the third time F1 has visited the Lusail International Circuit but the drivers will have to get right up to speed with just one, one-hour practice session ahead of sprint qualifying later on!
Who will set the early benchmark?!
The drivers arrive at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of a busy day!
Mick Schumacher makes shock career switch away from F1
Mick Schumacher has decided to leave his role as a Mercedes F1 reserve driver at the end of the 2024 season.
The 25-year-old German, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, was dropped by Haas at the end of the 2022 season after a two-year run but in the two years since has been an understudy for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows.
However, having not appeared once on an F1 weekend and having not secured a race seat for 2025, Schumacher has decided to leave the team and explore new opportunities after what he described as a “tough” two years watching in the garage.
Full story below:
Mick Schumacher makes shock career switch away from F1
The German, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, did not land an F1 seat for 2025
Driver Standings ahead of the Qatar GP weekend:
1. Max Verstappen - 403 points (champion)
2. Lando Norris - 340 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 319 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 268 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 259 points
6. George Russell - 217 points
7. Lewis Hamilton - 208 points
8. Sergio Perez - 152 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 62 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 35 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda - 30 points
12. Pierre Gasly - 26 points
13. Lance Stroll - 24 points
14. Esteban Ocon - 23 points
15. Kevin Magnussen - 14 points
16. Alex Albon - 12 points
17. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
18. Ollie Bearman - 7 points
19. Franco Colapinto - 5 points
20. Liam Lawson - 4 points
21. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
22. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
23. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points
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