Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

We know that Max Verstappen has to stop on lap 32. That means he can't put a soft tyre on to go for a full 25 lap stint, he's going to have to choose a hard tyre to get to the end of the race.

That's a slower tyre and McLaren will have the option to run the full 25 laps on the stint they are on, go for another 25 lap stint on another medium tyre, and then put a much fast soft tyre on at the end.

Even if they fall behind Verstappen, they will have a dramatic tyre offset for the closing part of this race.

What would you do if you were a McLaren strategist in this race? The field looks fairly settled as we come to the end of lap 17, so the chance of another safety-car period doesn't look high at the moment. Their two drivers are still one-two in this grand prix but we're getting closer to the 25-lap mark.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

That safety car has really thrown things up and I think what is interesting about this is there's no way of knowing right now if McLaren have pulled a blinder or not because it will depend on what happens.

They've got this flexibility with strategy that others don't have, but that's really gambling that something happens.

It may well be that making one stop on lap 32 is the fastest way to get to the end because if there's no more safety cars, no more interference, then maybe Max Verstappen has played a blinder.

The safety car pit stops has lifted Charles Leclerc back into the top 10 in ninth place but George Russell has lost another spot and is now running in eighth. Oliver Bearman, who has been on a points scoring run of late, is now 10th.

Max Verstappen, who needs to finish ahead of Lando Norris to keep his hand in the championship bucket until Abu Dhabi next weekend, is seven seconds behind race leader Oscar Piastri in third place and right on the tail of second place Norris.

The fastest stopwatch is parked by Oscar Piastri's name but he and team-mate Lando Norris need to keep the pace at a high tempo to build enough of a gap for a decent stop. This could be a nervous one for McLaren.

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. Lando Norris (McLaren)

3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

4. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

Image source, Getty Images

Esteban Ocon has been noted for not serving his time penalty correctly, so looks like another slap is coming the Haas driver's way.

Actually, carry on, Estie. You're all good this time.

Oscar Piastri leads from team-mate Lando Norris but with the 25-lap maximum stint length on tyres on teh table, and the McLarens drivers not pitting, how will this race pan out for the two title rivals?

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

That was another really good job from Oscar Piastri, he kept things nicely under control. The pressure on his shoulders must be immense but he got away well.

Image source, Getty Images

Engineer: "So Lando, the goal here now is really good pace until Lap 25. Basically everyone else will be stopping on Lap 32, we know that now."

"Reminder get close."

We're back racing in Qatar and Oscar Piastri goes early, catching out his rivals and leading the field from the restart. Lando Norris is now back into the second placed, after McLaren didn't pit during the safety-car period. Max Verstappen is third and Carlos Sainz is fourth.

Medium tyres across the board now.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Confirmation that McLaren are racing against each other as well as against Max Verstappen.

The incident between Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg, who is out of this race, is going to be investigated. Esteban Ocon's time in the top three is over, as he comes into the pits and serves his five-second time penalty. The McLarens are out on their own now; the rest of the pack can make their next stop around lap 32.

Safety car is ending. When will Oscar Piastri make his move?

Image source, Getty Images

Norris: "We should have followed him [Verstappen] in no? If we knew the car in front was staying out."

Engineer: "They have lost all of their flexibility for the remainder of the race."

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Esteban Ocon in the Haas has not come in, he's the only other driver apart from the two McLarens not to pit.

Really interesting that McLaren have done it that way, I wonder why. Are they going to double stack them on this next lap round?

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

There's an argument that could even be a red flag, there is debris everywhere and a car stranded in the infield of a circuit.

This is a really intriguing situation here.

Lando Norris is asking his pit wall why didn't he follow Max Verstappen in to the pits? His engineer replies, with the two-stopper in play at tonight's Qatar Grand Prix, the rest of the grid have "lost all their flexibility for the remainder of the race".