Summary

  • Verstappen wins; Piastri 2nd; Sainz 3rd; Norris 4th

  • Title fight goes to final race in Abu Dhabi after Norris misses chance in Qatar

  • Norris loses place off startline to Verstappen

  • Safety car after crash for Hulkenberg

  • Get involved using form below

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  1. 'We will try and have a good start' - Verstappenpublished at 15:54 GMT

    Max Verstappen at the Qatar Grand PrixImage source, Getty Images

    Red Bull's Max Verstappen, starts in P3, speaking to BBC 5 Live's Jennie Gow: "We know that the start can be quite important, so we will try and have a good start, but at the same time you never know what will happen in a race.

    "We have a two-stop and also some things are not in your control, it might be some crazy things that also happen behind you, so you just need to keep everything open."

  2. 'Our goal is to win the race and to have papaya to win the championship' - Brownpublished at 15:53 GMT

    Zak Brown at the Qatar Grand PrixImage source, Getty Images

    McLaren's CEO Zak Brown, speaking to Sky Sports: "I'm ready to go racing, I'm excited. It's kind of business as usual, I think if we could walk out of here with it being a papaya race in Abu Dhabi that would be an ideal result.

    "So we finish where we started, that would be a great result having Oscar [Piastri] and Lando [Norris] into the final race.

    "Lando has slightly different views of what an ideal weekend looks like, but for us we just want to know that we will have a papaya driver out on top.

    "That could happen tonight or that could happen in Abu Dhabi, or the worst case scenario it might not happen."

    On how things have been between the two drivers: "I've been with them all weekend and as soon as they get out of the car they shake hands and they've been looking for each other, it's very authentic.

    "They know each others set-up, they know each others strategy, they know what our goals are. Our goal is to win the race and to have papaya to win the championship.

    "If that's one car tonight or two that go down fighting for it in Abu Dhabi, we just want to have a papaya car up front."

  3. 'High probability of a safety car here'published at 15:52 GMT

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    There is quite a high probability of a safety car here because this circuit bites you and we've seen all weekend drivers making mistakes, so that is another element in this mix.

  4. get involved

    Get Involved - your title race predictionspublished at 15:50 GMT

    Click the 'Get Involved' button to have your say

    Max Verstappen has the power to either end or blow the World Championship battle wide open, depending on what he does into Turn 1.

    Andrew

    Everything crossed rooting for Lando today to bring it home! He gets a lot of negativity on social media and I'd love it for him to lift his first world title as he's driven brilliantly this season, especially after the Dutch GP when he looked down and out!

    James

  5. 'Getting a good start is going to be important' - Piastripublished at 15:49 GMT

    Oscar Piastri at the Qatar Grand PrixImage source, Reuters

    McLaren's Oscar Piastri starts on pole: "I feel good, it's been a good weekend so far.

    "Obviously starting from pole is the best place to be so hopefully we can have a good night, it's an interesting race with the tyre limits, so let's see what happens."

    On the championship battle: "[I feel] relatively optimistic, starting from pole gives me the best chance of that and just trying to get a good start is going to be important.

    "If I can do that then I feel like my chances are pretty good, but there's a lot to happen tonight."

  6. 'Norris has the most to lose'published at 15:48 GMT

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Lando Norris has got the most to lose and that will be on his mind, but on the flip side of that he's also got the comfort of not needing to win this grand prix.

    The downside of that is he wants to get it done, he's a racing driver and he won't want this to roll on another week.

    He's got to get a good start, he's on the dirtier side of the race track, a slight disadvantage as the lights go out, but it's going to be very very close.

  7. Miserable run continues for Ferraripublished at 15:46 GMT

    Lewis HamiltonImage source, Getty Images

    What of Ferrari this weekend? Only Charles Leclerc is starting in the points today - and even then it's P10 - after another bruising qualifying session for the Italian team.

    Lewis Hamilton followed his Q1 knockout in Las Vegas with another early bath in Qatar. The seven-time world champion is starting at the back of the field in 17th place, sandwiched between the Haas of Esteban Ocon and the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.

    Charles LeclercImage source, Getty Images

    Ferrari failed to pick up points in the sprint and Hamilton said Alpine's Pierre Gasly commented afterwards the car looks "so bad". Leclerc, who had a big spin in Q3, echoed those words, saying the car has been "extremely difficult to drive" this weekend.

    Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' championship and if he comes away empty handed from Qatar and rookie Kimi Antonelli finishes in his P5 starting position, there'll be just two points separating the pair before the last race in Abu Dhabi.

  8. Russell aiming to seal P2 for Mercedespublished at 15:44 GMT

    George Russell arrives with his girlfriend CarmenImage source, Getty Images

    Will George Russell play a part in the title fight in Qatar? The Mercedes driver is starting in fourth spot having finished second in yesterday's sprint race, splitting the two McLarens, and two places higher than Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

    Russell is guaranteed to finish fourth in the drivers' championship this year and he's also trying to seal second place for Mercedes in the constructors' standings. He said it was "annoying" to miss out on third "by such a small margin" but the goal for the weekend is to get P2 for the Silver Arrows. Both Russell and team-mate Kimi Antonelli are starting in the top five in Doha - the Italian rookie claimed fifth yesterday.

  9. get involved

    Get Involved - your title race predictionspublished at 15:43 GMT

    Click the 'Get Involved' button to have your say

    Chances of a clash in turn/lap one involving at least 2 of the 3 title rivals? Pretty good I’d imagine.

    Graham

    Keeping everything crossed for Norris

    Jez

  10. Packed grid in Qatarpublished at 15:42 GMT

    Martin Brundle on Sky Sports has got the pick of the famous faces to chat to the Qatar grid. Security try and stop him speaking to tennis great Novak Djokovic but Martin has been around too long to be denied a minute or two with a guest of F1.

    Gordon Ramsay thinks Lando Norris is "100%" going to be crowned champion tonight.

    Time to for the national anthem.

    former England and Manchester United star David BeckhamImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    David Beckham has arrived at the Qatar Grand Prix

    Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda with Novak DjokovicImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    24-time major champion Novak Djokovic poses for a picture with Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda

    Gordon Ramsay in the paddockImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Chef and F1 fan Gordon Ramsay has been watching the action in Qatar this weekend

    Former Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand outside the Alpine garageImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Former Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand takes a picture at the Alpine garage

    Maya Jama at the Red Bull GarageImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Presenter Maya Jama visits the Red Bull garage

  11. 'Piastri nothing short of perfect'published at 15:40 GMT

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    It's been nothing short of perfect for Oscar Piastri this weekend. It's exactly what he needed to do and you could easily argue that he should have been doing this for the last five or six rounds.

    He's got one job left and that is to get off the line well, through Turn One and control this race and win it.

  12. Verstappen in the huntpublished at 15:38 GMT

    Max VerstappenImage source, Getty Images

    Zak Brown thinks Max Verstappen is the Formula 1 equivalent of Halloween's Michael Myers or Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger. "He is like that guy in the horror movie who you think is down and then suddenly it's, 'where did he come from?!'" said the McLaren boss.

    From being 104 points down in the title fight in September, the Dutchman is now back in with a shout of a fifth championship in a row, an achievement which would see him match seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, after making the podium - and taking four victories - since F1 returned from its summer break.

    His Red Bull this weekend, though, has not provided Verstappen with a smooth ride, as his radio messages have been full of feedback concerning bouncing throughout the lap at Lusail. Still, he's put himself third on the today's grid, sharing a row with George Russell's Mercedes.

  13. get involved

    Get Involved - your title race predictionspublished at 15:35 GMT

    Click the 'Get Involved' button to have your say

    One race shootout will win the Title. Oscar to win today which makes for an exciting climax.

    Steven

    I really hope that Norris wins this...

    John

  14. Why do drivers have to make two pit-stops in Qatar?published at 15:34 GMT

    Tasnim Chowdhury
    BBC Sport journalist

    Ask me anything logo

    Drivers will need to make at least two pit-stops at the Qatar Grand Prix.

    The mandatory two-stop has been imposed after tyre suppliers Pirelli held talks with the teams and governing body FIA regarding driver safety.

    Tyres have been restricted to a maximum length of 25 laps of the Lusail International Circuit.

    As the race is 57 laps, it means that one pit-stop must be made, either on or before the 25th lap.

    Laps to the grid, formation laps, and laps after the chequered flag are not counted in the 25-lap stint regulation, but laps behind the safety car or virtual safety car will.

    Pirelli say the measure "has been deemed necessary" following analysis of the tyres used in 2024.

  15. More ways to listen livepublished at 15:32 GMT

    BBC Sounds

    Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin, former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley and BBC F1 correspondent are in position and ready to take us through the twists and turns of this potential championship decider.

    You can listen on BBC Sounds, by asking your smart speaker to 'play 5 Sports Extra" or by clicking the 'listen live' tab at the top of this page.

  16. Dirty side of the grid for Norrispublished at 15:30 GMT

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Lando NorrisImage source, Getty Images

    The potential scenarios are many heading into the penultimate grand prix of the season on the fast and demanding Lusail circuit but the basic maths are simple - if Lando Norris wins, he becomes champion; if Oscar Piastri or Max Verstappen do, the race goes on.

    Which is why starting second, on the dirty side of the track, from which he is likely to make a less-good start than Piastri and Verstappen, is not exactly what Norris needed.

    "Probably just the start (is my opportunity), yes," Norris said on Saturday. "Just the run down to Turn One, but I'm on the dirty side of the grid. So I don't have the highest expectations, but we'll see what we can do.

    "I probably can't take risks from the dirty side of the grid. I'll make the decision when I arrive into Turn One."

  17. Piastri on Qatar polepublished at 15:27 GMT

    A fan takes a picture with Oscar Piastri in the Qatar paddockImage source, Getty Images

    Everyone wants a piece of the title contenders today. Oscar Piastri entered the paddock and was met with a mobile phone right in his face.

    The Australian has been the man in form this weekend on a track he's gone well at during his career. Will this late surge of performance be in vain? The end of lap 57 today will give us the answer.

    Piastri has claimed pole in the sprint, won the shorter race and starts at the head of the grid again for the main event.

    At the end of August, he had a 34-point lead over Lando Norris following his win at Zandvoort. As we wave goodbye to November and the 2025 capaign, he's 22 points adrift of his team-mate after a disappointing run since his third place at Monza in September.

    The target in Qatar - on a track that's difficult to overtake - is to get a clean getaway off the line from pole and beat Norris to the race victory. If that happens and Norris stays second, Piastri will be 15 points behind the Briton heading to the finale in Abu Dhabi with 25 points remaining.

  18. What happened in Qatar qualifying?published at 15:23 GMT

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri shake handsImage source, Getty Images

    Lando Norris was on provisional pole after the first runs in the final session of qualifying, having edged Oscar Piastri by just 0.035 seconds.

    Through Turn One on their final runs, Norris believed he had already gained 0.1secs on his previous best, and was feeling good. But the lap went awry at the next corner.

    The front of the car lost grip, and kept losing grip, and Norris had to abort to prevent going off the track.

    That opened the door for Piastri, who ran thorough it with gusto to take pole by 0.108secs.

  19. 'Hopefully we can put on a good show for everyone' - Norrispublished at 15:20 GMT

    Lando Norris at the Qatar Grand PrixImage source, PA Media

    McLaren's Lando Norris starts in P2: "I've always enjoyed it here and there has always been some good races and hopefully we can put on a good show for everyone."

    On the race and team spirit: "All good, I'm excited to get going. It's always just a cool event here, I like night races and they are always more fun.

    "Two races to go so it's getting exciting for everyone, but it's normal stuff, head down and keep focus."

  20. What does Norris need to win the championship in Qatar?published at 15:17 GMT

    Lando NorrisImage source, Getty Images

    The smile was wide and bright on the face of Lando Norris as he arrived in the paddock earlier on, so he's looking relaxed before his big day in Doha.

    So, what does the 26-year-old need to do to become world champion for the first time?

    If Norris finishes 26 points or more ahead of Oscar Piastri after the race in Qatar and also at least 25 points in front of Max Verstappen he will win the title.

    His easiest route to glory is overtaking Piastri and winning the grand prix tonight.

    If he doesn't win, he can still clinch the title in Qatar if he outscores Piastri by at least four points and finishes ahead of Verstappen.

    Should that not happen the championship fight will go on to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.