Summary

  • Max Verstappen takes Red Bull's first pole of season at final race

  • P2 Bottas, P3 Hamilton, P4 Norris, P5 Albon, P6 Sainz

  • Eliminated in Q2: Ocon, Ricciardo, Vettel, Giovinazzi, Perez

  • Eliminated in Q1: Raikkonen, Magnussen, Russell, Fittipaldi, Latifi

  • Tell us your 2020 F1 winners and losers

  • Get involved: Use #bbcf1 or text 81111 (UK only)

  • Use audio icon at the top of the page to listen to live commentary

Live Reporting

Matthew Henry

  1. Things look a lot more glum in the Mercedes coming. It's only the second time they haven't been on pole this season.

  2. "Mega, mega lap" says Christian Horner.

    The Red Bull garage is celebrating like they've won a Cup final.

  3. Pole position - Max Verstappen

    Oh my!

    Max Verstappen snatches is at the death.

    He steals pole from Mercedes with Bottas second and Hamilton third.

  4. Valtteri Bottas beats Hamilton by a whisker! But Max Verstappen is flying behind the Finn...

  5. Lewis Hamilton leaps to the top of the standings! What a lap.

    Can anyone beat it?!

  6. Hamilton sets the best first and second sectors...

  7. Hamilton is in the green after the first sector. Keep this up and he could have pole.

  8. Away we go. One last chance for Hamilton.

  9. Hamilton backs up to get a bit of clean air. He trundling along at a speed my Polo could manage.

  10. Pierre Gasly pulls a manoeuvre you'd expect to see on a Sunday, going around the outside of Lewis Hamilton.

    He gets so close he almost hits the seven-time world champ.

  11. How they stand

    Here's how they stand after the first efforts in this final session. All cars are back in the pits.

    1. Bottas
    2. Verstappen
    3. Hamilton
    4. Albon
    5. Sainz
    6. Norris
    7. Stroll
    8. Leclerc
    9. Kvyat
    10. Gasly

  12. Jolyon Palmer
    Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    Norris on a used tyre is within sixth tenths of Bottas' pole lap. The pace is not there from the usual big three.

  13. Lewis Hamilton will get another tilt at this. There are five minutes remaining.

    The Briton was 0.135 seconds off Bottas.

  14. Jolyon Palmer
    Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    Hamilton was slower there than what he managed on the mediums in Q2.

  15. Bottas on provisional pole

    Lewis Hamilton puts down a lap in the mid 1:35s to go top of the standings.

    Good but can be beaten...

    Bottas does just that! He snatches provisional pole. And Max Verstappen nips onto the front row ahead of Lewis!

  16. Norris comfortably beats Stroll and Kvyat, his midfield rivals.

    Carlos Sainz, however, gets around quicker and is leading after the early stages.

  17. Sparks dart into the dark sky from Lando Norris' car. This looks good from the McLaren driver.

  18. Lewis Hamilton has won pole here in the past two seasons. Can he do it again? Out he comes.

  19. Final qualifying starts

    I hardly mentioned Mercedes in that session. Hamilton and Bottas were clinical.

    For the final time in 2020 we're under way.

  20. Get Involved

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    Nick Gisburne: First 2 races of 2021 we will know if Vettel still has it. If he can't beat Stroll he's done.