Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

Three tenths of a second is the gap between Carlos Sainz and now Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen's lap time has been deleted for exceeding track limits.

Charles Leclerc is on his flyer and is purple in the opening sector. He crosses the line and goes second behind Verstappen. But wait - the Red Bull driver's lap time has been deleted!

Leclerc goes onto pole but is pushed back down to his original spot as team-mate Carlos Sainz sets a 1:16.055 to go onto the front-row spot.

The single Red Bull car has taken to the track. Max Verstappen has no wingman, nor does Lando Norris, come to think of it.

Verstappen is purple in the first sector, Norris has clocked a personal best. The Dutchman sets the challenge withe a 1:16.368 on his new soft tyres. The McLaren os nearly sixth tenths away in second.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

It's another race weekend where Lando Norris needs something and Max Verstappen is not letting him have it.

Verstappen had a difficult day on Friday and he wasn't happy with the car today in final practice, but yet here Verstappen is second-fastest and the two Ferrari's don't seem to be able to do anything about it.

POLE FIGHT!

Image source, Getty Images

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Perez is definitely lacking confidence and severely lacking pace, all the time here Q1 he's eight-tenths off his team-mate, he doesn't look like a driver who has got any confidence at the moment.

The marshals have done a sterling job fixing the barriers from Tsunoda's crash, so we should be back under way with this pole fight shortly.

Image source, Reuters

Postpublished at 22:49 British Summer Time 26 October

22:49 BST 26 October

Liam Lawson gave a nice thank you message to his RB team for getting him back up to speed in the last few days.

So, who have we got in Q3? Lando Norris was quickest in the previous session, Max Verstappen was second. The two title rivals will be joined by the Ferraris, the Mercedes, two Haas cars, Alex Albon's Williams and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.

Jeremiah Kariuki: Piastri has performed way too low to the expectations. Had the promise to go for the pole. What a fail!

Sergio Perez was knocked out of Q1 at his home grand prix. He told Sky Sports: "It's a very difficult one, a very difficult one with the car, I just couldn't get on top of it, I couldn't stop the car soon enough and I was just putting too much energy into the tyres at braking and that was the main issue for me.

"It's been very similar to the rest of the weekend, I've been struggling a lot with the pace going into the low speed, it's similar to Austin, I can't attack the corner into braking."

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I think Yuki Tsunoda has just become Alex Albon's best friend, I think that has kind of saved the Williams driver up in seventh place.

Yuki has been on great form this weekend but he's been driving like his life depends on this weekend.

11. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

12. Liam Lawson (RB)

13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

15. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

Q2 ends after Tsunoda crashpublished at 22:43 British Summer Time 26 October

22:43 BST 26 October

Turn 12 is where Yuki Tsunoda brought this Q2 session to an end. The Japanese driver hit the kerb with his left front tyre, causing a lock-up and it was all down hill from there.

Both RB cars are out in Q2.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

We have got an RB into the wall and it's Yuki Tsunoda.

"I'm ok."

Tsunoda crashespublished at 22:41 British Summer Time 26 October

22:41 BST 26 October

The RB of Yuki Tsunoda has hit the wall in the middle sector!

Liam Lawson, who has a six-race audition to claim a seat for next season, whether that be RB or the big one at Red Bull, is in trouble in 12th place.

Hang on. His team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is even worse off...

Charles Leclerc has yet to set a time after his first attempt was deleted, but he's just hit a purple sector in the opening part of the lap, followed by a personal best in the second, so the Ferrari driver should be safe. And he is. Third for Leclerc, which then becomes fourth as Carlos Sainz swipes his spot with a 1:16.515.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

Bottas has finally ended a five race run of Q1 eliminations, that's his worst career run so he will be pleased to get that off his chest.

11. Kevin Magnussen

12. Lance Stroll

13. Nico Hulkenberg

14. Valtteri Bottas

15. Charles Leclerc