F1 next heads to Lusail for the Qatar Grand Prix and the final sprint weekend of the 2024 season.
Max Verstappen secured the drivers’ world championship at the last race in Las Vegas, his fourth in a row, with Lando Norris unable to catch him at the two remaining rounds.
The main battle is now for the constructors’ championship. Leaders McLaren are just 24 points ahead of Ferrari, with Red Bull a further 29 points back.
Verstappen won last year’s race at the Lusail International Circuit, though Oscar Piastri did win the sprint race. This weekend will also be Lewis Hamilton’s penultimate race weekend for Mercedes.
Follow live updates from the Qatar Grand Prix:
F1 QATAR GRAND PRIX – LATEST UPDATES
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Qatar hosts round 23 of the 2024 season and the final sprint weekend of the year
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Practice started at 1:30pm (GMT); sprint qualifying is at 5:30pm
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McLaren have a 24-point lead to Ferrari in the race for the constructors’ championship
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Lando Norris reacts to Max Verstappen F1 title dig: ‘He should start doing comedy’
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Charles Leclerc quickest in FP1!
14:33 , Kieran Jackson
Leclerc sets a 1:21:953 on soft tyres and is quickest by four-tenths to Lando Norris in second!
3-10: Piastri, Sainz, Tsunoda, Bottas, Stroll, Russell, Albon, Hamilton
Verstappen only P11!
Seems like it’s advantage Ferrari heading into sprint qualifying!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Charles Leclerc still in P1!
14:29 , Kieran Jackson
It’s no longer a Ferrari one-two, though, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in second and third – splitting the Ferraris.
5-10: Stroll, Russell, Albon, Hamilton, Verstappen, Alonso
Final few laps coming in now…
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Qualifying simulations coming right up!
14:22 , Kieran Jackson
Alex Albon the first driver out there on the soft tyres for Williams, and sets a time quick enough for P3!
10:00 to go!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Ferrari one-two now!
14:12 , Kieran Jackson
Sainz with a 1:23:068, three-tenths quicker than Leclerc in second…. and both on hard tyres!
Everyone else below them is on mediums! That’s impressive….
20:00 to go!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Charles Leclerc top of the timesheets!
14:00 , Kieran Jackson
Leclerc goes to the top in his Ferrari, with Verstappen now P2 and Gasly stil playing it large with the big boys in P3!
4-10: Norris, Sainz Russell, Tsunoda, Albon, Hulkenberg, Hamilton
Most cars still on mediums, for now, with the soft tyre running likely to come towards the end of the session!
30 minutes to go in FP1!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Fernando Alonso almost hits Carlos Sainz!
13:47 , Kieran Jackson
“I nearly crashed, everyone slowed down!”
Almost a big incident at turns 4-5!
Needless to say, it’s busy out on track right now with every driver trying to utilise every single minute of practice!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Max Verstappen up to P1!
13:46 , Kieran Jackson
And by three-tenths to George Russell’s new time for second – Verstappen into the 1:23s now.
Pierre Gasly up to fourth.
45:00 to go in FP1.
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: George Russell quickest early on
13:42 , Kieran Jackson
The medium compound is the tyre of choice in the first 10-15 minutes of practice, with George Russell picking up where he left off in Las Vegas with the fastest time so far of a 1:24:901, 0.076 secs quicker than Lando Norris in second.
Charles Leclerc in third early on, but that’s on the hard tyre!
4-10: Bottas, Verstappen, Albon, Gasly, Ocon, Hamilton, Sainz
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: FP1 underway!
13:30 , Kieran Jackson
We have cars on track in Qatar, on the penultimate weekend of the 2024 season!
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: We’re just five minutes from practice in Lusail!
13:25 , Kieran Jackson
It’s just the third time F1 has visited the Lusail International Circuit but the drivers will have to get right up to speed with just one, one-hour practice session ahead of sprint qualifying later on!
Who will set the early benchmark?!
The drivers arrive at the Lusail International Circuit ahead of a busy day!
13:20 , Kieran Jackson
Interesting comments from Valtteri Bottas on Red Bull:
13:13 , Kieran Jackson
Mick Schumacher makes shock career switch away from F1
13:05 , Kieran Jackson
Mick Schumacher has decided to leave his role as a Mercedes F1 reserve driver at the end of the 2024 season.
The 25-year-old German, son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, was dropped by Haas at the end of the 2022 season after a two-year run but in the two years since has been an understudy for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows.
However, having not appeared once on an F1 weekend and having not secured a race seat for 2025, Schumacher has decided to leave the team and explore new opportunities after what he described as a “tough” two years watching in the garage.
Full story below:
Mick Schumacher makes shock career switch away from F1
Driver Standings ahead of the Qatar GP weekend:
12:56 , Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen – 403 points (champion)
2. Lando Norris – 340 points
3. Charles Leclerc – 319 points
4. Oscar Piastri – 268 points
5. Carlos Sainz – 259 points
6. George Russell – 217 points
7. Lewis Hamilton – 208 points
8. Sergio Perez – 152 points
9. Fernando Alonso – 62 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg – 35 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda – 30 points
12. Pierre Gasly – 26 points
13. Lance Stroll – 24 points
14. Esteban Ocon – 23 points
15. Kevin Magnussen – 14 points
16. Alex Albon – 12 points
17. Daniel Ricciardo – 12 points
18. Ollie Bearman – 7 points
19. Franco Colapinto – 5 points
20. Liam Lawson – 4 points
21. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points
22. Logan Sargeant – 0 points
23. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points
REVIEW: The never-ending legacy of Ayrton Senna continues in dynamic Netflix bio-drama
12:42 , Kieran Jackson
There’s something about sport, and the global fandom the lead protagonists generate, which triggers a propensity to hero-worship. Add to that the lives of fallen heroes, particularly those taken too soon, and the deep-rooted desire to remember and reminisce are intertwined with anniversaries and depictions in modern drama. Whether it be Netflix, Prime or Apple TV, they’re all at it.
Yet as 2024 nears its conclusion, there really can be no doubting the omnipresent legacy Brazilian idol Ayrton Senna left on the world.
Full piece below:
The never-ending legacy of Ayrton Senna continues in new Netflix drama
Lando Norris responds to Max Verstappen F1 title dig:
12:32 , Kieran Jackson
Verstappen told sections of the media after the race in Vegas that he would have won the 2024 title “even earlier” in a McLaren – and at “pretty much the same” time in a Ferrari. Red Bull are currently third in the constructors’ championship.
Yet Norris, when asked about Verstappen’s statement in Qatar, sharply rebuked: “He should start doing comedy or something. He can say whatever he wants.
“Of course, I completely disagree, as I would. He’s good, but, yeah, it’s not true.”
What is the state of play in the Constructors’ Championship?
12:25 , Kieran Jackson
1. McLaren – 608 points
2. Ferrari – 584 points
3. Red Bull Racing – 555 points
4. Mercedes – 425 points
5. Aston Martin – 86 points
6. Alpine – 49 points
7. Haas – 46 points
8. RB – 46 points
9. Williams – 17 points
10. Sauber – 0 points
What are the start times this weekend in Qatar?
12:20 , Kieran Jackson
All times GMT
Friday 29 November
Saturday 30 November
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Sprint race: 2pm
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Qualifying: 6pm
Sunday 1 December
F1 Qatar GP LIVE: Practice and sprint qualifying on Friday!
12:19 , Kieran Jackson
F1 now heads to Lusail for the Qatar Grand Prix and the final sprint weekend of the 2024 season.
Max Verstappen secured the drivers’ world championship at the last race in Las Vegas, his fourth in a row, with Lando Norris unable to catch him at the two remaining rounds.
The main battle is now for the constructors’ championship. Leaders McLaren are just 24 points ahead of Ferrari, with Red Bull a further 29 points back.
Verstappen won last year’s race at the Lusail International Circuit, though Oscar Piastri did win the sprint race. This weekend will also be Lewis Hamilton’s penultimate race weekend for Mercedes.
FP1 starts at 1:30pm (GMT) with sprint qualifying at 5:30pm!
