Summary

  • Verstappen wins third F1 drivers' title as Piastri wins sprint

  • Lawson, Sargeant, Perez and Ocon crash out

  • Shootout delayed after safety concerns over tyres

  • Verstappen starts on pole for Sunday's race

  • Sprint format for Lusail, with sprint shoot-out and sprint race on Saturday

  • Get involved #bbcf1

  1. Postpublished at 19:15 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Little bit gutted for Oscar Piastri, to be honest. His sprint win is overshadowed by Max Verstappen's third consecutive F1 crown but I'm sure the Australian won't mind. His McLaren team are giving him plenty of love after that performance.

    Race control are apparently going through the mountain of track limits. Five-second time penalty anyone?

  2. Postpublished at 19:12 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    "I can't thank you all enough," says Max Verstappen over the team radio. The Dutchman can head into tomorrow's full race knowing the drivers' title is safely in the bag.

  3. chequered flag

    Chequered flagpublished at 19:10 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Oscar Piastri wins the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race for McLaren!

    But the big news is...

    Red Bull's Max Verstappen is now a three-time Formula 1 drivers' world champion!!

  4. Postpublished at 19:09 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 19/19

    Lewis Hamilton has taken Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz's positions! The Mercedes man is up to fifth place!

  5. Postpublished at 19:08 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 19/19

    Max Verstappen is almost there for his third world championship.

    Oscar Piastri is almost there for his first Formula 1 win.

  6. Team Radio - Leclercpublished at 19:07 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    "I think Carlos is struggling."

  7. Postpublished at 19:07 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 18/19

    Lewis Hamilton is chasing Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari and the Mercedes are wheel-to-wheel but the Leclerc shuts down any gaps the seven-time world champion may exploit.

  8. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 19:06 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    #bbcf1

    Jack Lovatt: Utter domination from Verstappen, deserved 3rd title. Up to the other drivers/teams to massively up their game for next season.

    Nulla Pax: Max has earned it. No question unless you are a hater. It would be nice to see him fight for it - but he has earned it.

  9. Postpublished at 19:06 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Alex Brundle
    British racing driver and broadcaster on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    That McLaren is a rocket ship on the medium tyre!

  10. Postpublished at 19:06 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 17/19

    Target now for Max Verstappen is race leader Oscar Piastri. The two-time world champion is two seconds behind the McLaren. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has lifted himself up into seventh spot from 12th.

  11. Postpublished at 19:05 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 16/19

    The incident between Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg is going to be looked at by the stewards.

    Lando Norris has produced not one, but two overtakes on Ferrari. The McLaren driver is back into fourth place!

  12. Postpublished at 19:04 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Alex Brundle
    British racing driver and broadcaster on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    That soft tyre is going to fall away for Russell now as the final section of this race wears on.

  13. Postpublished at 19:04 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 15/19

    Max Verstappen is up to third and is now trying to jump the Mercedes of George Russell on the soft tyres. The Dutchman uses his Red Bull advantage at the final corner and passes Russell to take second.

  14. 'To be consistently dominant, that is an achievement of perhaps the biggest ever'published at 19:03 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator

    We've run out of words to describe Verstappen's season, bulletproof, dominant, consistent, effortless, perhaps the most dominant ever, but there's one thing to be dominant, but to be consistently dominant, that is an achievement of perhaps the biggest ever, not just for Max Verstappen, but for Red Bull Racing as well.

  15. Postpublished at 19:02 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 14/19

    George Russell is trying to stay on the tail of Oscar Piastri but the McLaren is out in front on his medium tyres. Charles Leclerc spots a chance to pass Lando Norris and he takes it on the restart. Leclerc is up to fifth, Norris drops to sixth.

  16. Postpublished at 19:01 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator

    Max Verstappen is being told by his engineer on the Red Bull pit-wall that they've got to get to the end, tyres are clearly struggling, those on the medium compound of tyre are struggling compared to the soft.

  17. Safety car endingpublished at 19:01 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 14/19

    Go! Go! Go! AGAIN.

  18. Safety carpublished at 19:01 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 13/19

    Nico Hulkenberg has managed to get back to the pits with his damaged Haas. Esteban Ocon was on the inside, Sergio Perez was on the outside, and as Ocon tried to motor away from the two drivers, he clipped the wheel of Hulkenberg's car, then touched Perez's Red Bull.

  19. Safety carpublished at 18:58 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 13/19

    George Russell was begging on the team radio to come in and make a pit stop but Mercedes told the Briton there was no point.

  20. Safety carpublished at 18:57 British Summer Time 7 October 2023

    Lap 12/19

    In the middle of that triple mess, Lando Norris made a decent move on the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. The McLaren is up to fifth place.