Qatar Grand Prix: Live F1 Sprint coverage

Max Verstappen is on the cusp of his third-straight Formula 1 Drivers’ title, with a chance to put both hands on the trophy with a solid finish in Saturday’s F1 Sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.

But he will not be starting that race up front.

Verstappen needs just three points over the final six races of the year to clinch his third-straight F1 Drivers’ Championship, and can accomplish that with a sixth-place finish — or better — in the F1 Sprint race Saturday. But he will be starting that race third, thanks to a tremendous performance from the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. The rookie driver captured the first pole position of his F1 career, narrowly fending off his teammate in a F1 Sprint Shootout that came down to the final corner.

With Verstappen leaving the door open for pole position, Piastri barged through to capture provisional pole, but Norris still had to finish the final lap of the session. When Norris went wide and off the track at the final turn, it solidified that inaugural pole position for the Australian rookie.

A previous time from Norris was good enough to put him on the front row with his teammate.

We’ll have this F1 Sprint covered for you through the session, so check back early and often!

All updates are in Eastern time.

F1 Sprint Updates Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Update 2:10: Piastri is your Qatar Grand Prix F1 Sprint winner.

Verstappen is your 2023 Formula 1 Drivers’ Champion.

Piastri, Verstappen, and Norris round out the podium in the F1 Sprint.

Update 2:08: Norris is now into third, as he gets by Russell.

Update 2:07: Norris is just one second behind Russell heading into the final lap.

A bit further back, the two Ferraris are fighting for their lives with a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton — on mediums — right behind them.

Update 2:06: Incredible driving from Norris, who gets by both Ferraris and into fourth place. He’ll have just over two laps to see if he can reel in Russell for a podium finish of his own.

Update 2:05: This is setting up for a Piastri-Verstappen fight, as the newly-minted World Champion has three laps to make up a two-second gap to the rookie.

Update 2:03: Softs seem to be firing up well for drivers like Leclerc, but can they hang on over the final four laps.

Oh, and Verstappen has gotten by Russell and is into P2.

Update 2:02: Green flag is out with five laps to go. We will see how long those on the softs can hang on.

Update 1:57: Russell begs to come in and change tyres, as he declares the softs “done.” But the order is to stay out, and try and survive on the mediums.

Update 1:56: The crash that knocked Pérez out was a three-way affair between Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, and Pérez.

Update 1:55: Verstappen is the F1 Drivers’ Champion.

The F1 Sprint is not over, but teammate Sergio Pérez is in the gravel, bringing his race to a close. That guarantees Verstappen the title, regardless of how he finishes today.

Update 1:53: Piastri blows by Russell, and Verstappen is up into P3. The race is coming to the medium drivers. Norris gets by Leclerc for fifth.

“The soft tyre is fading fast” is the proclamation from the booth on F1TV.

Update 1:50: And to that previous point, Verstappen just got by Leclerc for P4, and Piastri on the medium just posted the fastest lap of the F1 Sprint race.

Update 1:49: Russell has just posted the fastest lap of the F1 Sprint race. If the soft compound holds up, Russell (P1), Sainz (P3) and Leclerc (P4) look to be in good shape.

If the softs falter and the medium ends up being the best compound then Piastri (P2), Verstappen (P5) and Norris (P6) could benefit.

Update 1:47: Green flag is out and Russell flies ahead of the field on the soft tyre.

How long will those softs last, however?

Update 1:44: The safety car remains on the track, and here is the current top eight:

RussellPiastriSainzLeclercVerstappenNorrisOconAlonso

Remember, the top eight finishers secure points in F1 Sprint races.

Update 1:42: As the cars continue behind the safety car, everyone running on the softs is hoping that safety car stays out there as long as possible. The longer they run behind the safety car, the longer those soft tyres are going to last.

Update 1:40: The safety car is out again, as Logan Sargeant finds the gravel.

“You cannot deny, mistakes are plenty” is the phrase used regarding the American rookie in the F1TV commentary box.

Update 1:39: They are racing again, and Norris is locked in a battle with Fernando Alonso for sixth position, Alonso is on the softs.

Up front, Russell gets by Piastri. Again, the softs are locked in right now.

But how long will that last?

Update 1:38: Lawson is out of his car, and that brings to a close his F1 Sprint race. He’ll get one more crack at F1 in the Grand Prix tomorrow, as it is widely anticipated that Daniel Ricciardo will be back for the United States Grand Prix in two weeks.

Update 1:37: The safety car is out, with this the top five:

PiastriRussellSainzLeclercVerstappen

Russell, Sainz, and Leclerc all started on the softs, and were much faster at the start, Piastri managed to hold onto first place with the mediums, but you can see the difference between the mediums and the softs.

Verstappen is also reporting perhaps some damage to his RB19.

Update 1:36: Verstappen actually slides back and gives up a few spots as Russell jumps up into second, taking advantage of the soft tires.

Liam lawson is off the track and that brings out the yellow flag in the first sector. No word on a safety car as of yet.

Update 1:35: Lights out at Lusail!

Update 1:30: On tyre choices: Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen are starting on the medium compound. George Russell, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Charles Leclerc — who start fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively — are on the softs.

Update 1:24: Tyre choice will be something interesting to monitor in the F1 Sprint race. Because of tyre wear issues, there are rumblings that the Grand Prix may be a mandatory three-stop race. As such, while the medium compound makes the most sense for the 19-lap sprint race, Sam Collins on F1TV opines that teams may still opt for the hard, which will give them more options on tyre choices in the Grand Prix Sunday.

Update 1:11: Something to ponder before things get underway: How aggressive will the three drivers up front — Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen — be into Turn 1? Will the McLarens fight each other, opening the door for Verstappen to charge into the lead? Will they be content to work together and try and pull away from Verstappen? How aggressive will Verstappen be? After all, he just needs a sixth-place finish or better to clinch his third-straight Drivers’ Championship, but settling for a leisurely Saturday drive and finishing third is not what has made him the driver who he is.

Much to ponder.