The F1 world championship heads to Doha for the Qatar Grand Prix and the penultimate race of the 2025 season.
Following McLaren’s double disqualification from the Las Vegas Grand Prix for excessive plank wear, things have tightened up in the title race.
Lando Norris’s lead at the top of the world championship is now 24 points over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who dominated last time out in Sin City.
There are a maximum 58 points left up for grabs across the remaining two grands prix and sprint in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
It is possible that Norris could be crowned world champion for the first time in his F1 career this weekend.
Hulkenberg's time at the top didn't last long as Verstappen regains top spot with a 1m23.343s.
Piastri slots his McLaren into second, 0.188s behind the Red Bull driver. Norris is currently eighth and 0.789s off the pace early on.
Unsurprisingly, it's been a busy start to the only hour of practice in Qatar. Lap times are improving all the time so it will probably have changed by the time this message is typed, but Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg currently sits top of the pile. All 20 drivers have put a lap time on the board.
Early laps are being completed and it's Max Verstappen starting as he means to go on by setting a 1m25.047s to go fastest by nearly a second from Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
10 drivers have times on the board already.
Green light at the end of the pit lane and the only hour of practice in Qatar this weekend is underway.
F1 drivers will be required to make at least two pit stops at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
This mandatory two-stop rule has been imposed after F1 tyre supplier Pirelli held talks with the teams and governing body the FIA about driver safety.
Tyres will be restricted to a maximum length of 25 laps of the Lusail International Circuit, meaning drivers will have to pit either on or before the 25th lap of Sunday’s 57-lap grand prix.
These rules are not in place for the sprint race, which will be run over 19 laps.
Pirelli has explained that the measure “has been deemed necessary” after conducting analysis of the tyres used at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix.
"Last year, several tyres, particularly the left front, had reached the maximum wear level," Pirelli said.
"These conditions, combined with the high lateral energy, had increased the structural fatigue of the construction.”
Pirelli has brought its hardest tyre compounds to the race weekend to be able to handle the demands of the high-speed and relatively abrasive track.
McLaren being thrown out of the Las Vegas Grand Prix after the skid blocks of both cars were found to have less than the minimum depth has had major ramifications on the drivers’ championship battle.
Lando Norris is still the strong favourite, but the Briton’s advantage stands at just 24 points over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who is badly out of form, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
While McLaren’s post-race disqualifications have opened the door for Verstappen to win a fifth consecutive world title, Norris remains in pole position and can wrap up his first drivers’ crown on Sunday in Qatar if results go his way.
33 of the maximum 58 points left available are up for grabs this weekend in Qatar, which features a sprint race.
Simply put, Norris will seal the deal and leave Qatar as the newly-crowned world champion if he outscores both Piastri and Verstappen by two points or more across the sprint and grand prix.
Even if Norris does not wrap things up in Qatar, he is likely to take a handy buffer over his rivals going into the Abu Dhabi finale, barring a major setback.
Hello and welcome to Crash.net's live coverage of the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix.
We could witness a championship-defining weekend at the penultimate round of the 2025 F1 season in Doha, which is set to provide another pivotal moment in the title race.
The sprint format returns for the sixth and final time this year to add extra intrigue and potential jeopardy into the mix.
We have a crucial hour of practice running coming up for you at 13:30, before the competitive action begins with sprint qualifying at 17:30 UK time.
Hopefully your lunch has settled, make yourself a brew, and we will guide you through all the updates from Friday’s running in Qatar!
