Qatar Grand Prix – F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton out after colliding with Mercedes teammate on first corner, as Max Verstappen leads from pole

Leclerc’s Ferrari is currently in ninth place

Verstappen, Albon, Pérez, Zhou.

They must arrive in the next two rounds…

He is now in 15th place

He was second. Where does it come out?

Alonso takes 14th place from Leclerc

Leclerc arrives at the end of this lap, he is now also third.

Sanctions could come

A premature end to Hamilton’s race, after a collision with Russell at the first corner.

The Dutchman still looks likely to rack up points.

He went to the wrong place, in the chaos and confusion of Sainz’s absence on the grid. Hulkenberg is currently running in 8th place.

As I type this, Russell takes 13th place from Perez! He has his work cut out for him to get back among the front runners after this calamity at the first corner.

Russell on his tail in 14th place after a few early pit stops.

Russell sounded apologetic on the radio, but he also looked understandably frustrated, back in 18th place at this early stage.

His car is in the gravel and he gets out of the vehicle grimly. It’s over at the first turn for the seven-time champion.

On the opening corner. Savage.

If drivers exceed track limits four times, they will serve a five-second penalty. With a lot of track overtaking during qualifying, this could be something to watch. I will keep you informed.

The peloton will split and change as they meet the strict tire limits. It will be fascinating to see how they end up in the end.

Can anyone do anything about Max Verstappen’s wonder?

We’re about to find out…

There was no wind which spoiled the rest of the weekend, but it was very humid and the drivers noticed it.

Who will rise to the challenge and who will be left behind?

Performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

Just under 15 minutes until lights out at Lusail.

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has spoken to Sky Sports about the fuel system problem which means Sainz misses today’s race.

Vasseur said it was “too late to change anything”, which was a shame because “(Sainz) was in a good dynamic after Monza and Singapore”.

Oscar Piastri took pole in the shootout, and despite losing the lead in yesterday’s 19-lap sprint, he managed to regain it and retain 8 points.

Today, he starts in 6th place on the grid. What can he achieve in 57 rounds?

Red Bull already owns the trophy, but there will still be plenty to fight for among the other nine teams to secure the best possible position.

4. Aston Martin – 222 points

9. Alfa Romeo – 10 points

10. Alpha Tauri – 5 points

With Sainz out and Perez starting in the pit lane, can one of the less successful teams take advantage and get some valuable points on the board?

If you’re looking for some Sunday night reading, Jonathan McEvoy has broken down the racing genes that led Max Verstappen to become an F1 phenomenon.

The FIA ​​has imposed tire life limits for today’s race for safety reasons.

The tires can only be used for a total of 18 laps, requiring all drivers to employ a three-stop strategy over the course of the 57-lap race.

Those who exceed the maximum tire lifespan will be reported to the stewards and will be penalized accordingly.

Sergio Perez starts tonight’s race from the pit lane. The Red Bull team have repaired the damage caused by their crash in yesterday’s Sprint, but the new power unit means they are over their allocation and must start from the back.

It’s been a long weekend for F1, and qualifying for today’s race took place on Friday evening. Max Verstappen took pole position and will lead the field into the corner as a three-time world champion. George Russell joins him in the front row.

Hello and welcome to the Qatar Grand Prix live blog. This is the first time back on the circuit for Max Verstappen after winning his third world title in yesterday’s Sprint race. He came second behind Oscar Piastri, who won his first F1 race.

The race will start at 8 p.m. in Qatar or 6 p.m. in the UK, just under an hour. I’ll be here with build and racing updates from Lusail.