Here’s Giles Richards’ race report.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri speak:
LN: “I think the three-stop made it a lot harder just physically, you can push a lot more, even the last stint you could pretty much push flat out. Probably one of the hardest races I’ve done in a way but it’s a nice challenge and congrats to Oscar, no mistakes, and of course Max once again.”
OP: “Yeah it was hard, also like Lando said with the three stops it was flat out. It was 57 qualifying laps, which I feel like I’ve done. It was a really good race, I’m happy all the tyres stayed all together. It was good. I’m happy with another trophy too.”
Max Verstappen speaks after his 49th race win:
What made the race was my first stint, after that I could just manage my pace, making sure that the tyres were always in a good window. But the McLaren’s were quick again today, I had to push for it, it was definitely a tough race out there.”
One of, top five probably.
I’m already sweating quite a bit so I wonder what happened last night but we will enjoy it a little bit but there are still quite a few races out there that we want to win.”
I prefer when we can just push for as long as we can on a tyre and not force pit-stops, you know we design cars to be good on tyres but today we couldn’t optimise that fully because that’s usually our strong point.
Some PA Media copy on that Russell/Hamilton collision:
Russell was sent spinning round before limping back to the pits for a new front wing. “F****** hell,” yelled Russell, 25. “Come on! What the hell! I have got damage.”
Referencing their ding-dong battle at the last round in Japan, Russell added: “Guys, come on, f***! Two races in a row.”
Sitting in the sandtrap, Hamilton, 38, pointed the finger at his younger teammate.
“Yeah, I got taken out by my team-mate,” he said. Back on track and sitting at the rear of the field, Russell returned to the intercom. “Sorry guys, I wasn’t even looking,” he added. “I was focused ahead and he came from nowhere.
“I am lost for words. Honestly. I have just seen the replays on the TV screen. I couldn’t do anything. Totally sandwiched.”
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is absent from this race - his second in a row - as he recovers from knee surgery. But the Austrian came on the intercom in a move to calm Russell down. “George, let’s race now and get the best out of it,” he said.
Forty minutes after the accident, Hamilton, 38, accepted blame for the coming together.
“In the heat of the moment, it was frustrating because I felt this tap from the rear but I don’t think George had anywhere to go,” said the seven-time world champion using a towel to mop the sweat from his brow.
“It was an unfortunate scenario and I am happy to take responsibility because that is my role. I need to go back and look at it, but I don’t feel like it was George’s fault.
“Before the race, we knew we were on different tyres so we wanted to work together. I had the soft tyre and everyone around me was on the medium and I needed to get by. I tried going round the outside of Max and it just didn’t work out.
“It was not our plan to come together. It is just really gutting for the team. I feel just really sad for everybody for my part in it.”
Each of the top three drivers is sat down in the chill-out room, feeling the heat. And there are remarks on the crash between Hamilton and Russell at the start.
Lewis Hamilton takes blame for Russell crash
How’s this for a mea culpa?
I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 8, 2023
Here’s the final result
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
7. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
8. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
9. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
10. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
11. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
13. Alex Albon (Williams)
14. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
17. Liam Lawson (Alpha Tauri)
DNF. Logan Sargeant (Williams)
DNF. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
DNS. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Updated
Oscar Piastri is swigging water down, Lando Norris is pouring water over himself.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS IN QATAR!!!
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
An incredible 14th win of the season 💪
Piastri finishes P2, Norris P3 🙌#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/zcTrZME2ru
McLaren take their 500th (and 501st) F1 podium 🙌
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
What an incredible effort and what a second half of the season they are having 👏👏👏#QatarGP @McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/R513x5tpok
Verstappen having taken pole, race and fastest lap calls it “too close for comfort”. Oscar Piastri says “that was the hardest race in my career”. He’s some talent. “Congrats, boys and girls,” says Lando Norris.
Max Verstappen wins the Qatar Grand Prix
57/57 Verstappen cruises towards his 14th successive pole to chequered flag finish. He has the fastest lap. Piastri and Norris is the remaining sideshow in town but they finish in that order, their second double podium in succession. Russell come in fourth, and Leclerc fifth.
Updated
56/57 George Russell, after that tyre change, is slowing up and Leclerc is chasing. Not a good day for those in the Mercs if he end up getting overtaken. It looks as if two Saubers in Bottas as Zhou will be in the points too.
Updated
55/57 Just three laps to go and the drama lies in the battle between the McLarens – and how the drivers will cool down.
54/57 Norris is chasing down Piastri, his teammate. Russell is slower than the McLaren, who are getting closer to Verstappen if not exactly within touching distance.
53/57 Russell comes out fourth of the pit lane, 10 seconds behind Norris, Piastri second. We think that’s the last of the pits after those tyre limitations.
52/57 Verstappen pits, and it takes all of four seconds. He’s able to chase down a fastest lap.
51/57 Russell pits, visor down to get more air. Where will he come out? He’s on soft tyres.
50/57 Verstappen is all but guaranteed another crushing win. George Russell looks to be trying to get air on his face – at 300kph. The news on Logan Sargeant is that he’s OK, just dehydrated.
49/57 Kevin Magnussen is raging at his Haas team. “It doesn’t make sense,” he says, on receiving a code word.
48/57 “We’re worried a little about Russell,” Norris is told. He’s setting the fastest lap in the race. They are waiting on Russell’s change of tyres. Norris doesn’t appear to be listening.
47/57 Piastri has set a fastest lap. He’s had a very promising weekend, what with taking the sprint. Norris is not too amused when his team tells him to hold position. “What?!” he asks. His team want the points. Norris wants to race his teammate.
46/57 Logan Sargeant looks a beaten, sickened man in the Williams garage. All the very best to him.
45/57 Verstappen sets another fastest lap. He’s had it easy when the others have been scrabbling in his wake. Norris and Piastri have both pitted and it’s third and fourth, with two seconds between them.
44/57 Norris goes into the pits, having set a fastest lap. Piastri’s pit was quick, too and he’s now fourth behind Russell, who has another pit to fulfil.
43/57 It’s Vertstappen, Piastri and Norris the leading three but Piastri is going into the pits. Norris will get a five-second penalty for going off the track too often.
42/57 In goes Logan Sargeant, his race is done. And his team try to hydrate him as a doctor is brought in. It really does look hot out there.
41/57 Verstappen has the fastest lap. Logan Sargeant says “I don’t feel well, man.” And is weaving all over the track and that’s it for him, surely as he slows down to let someone else drive past.
40/57 Perez got a five-second penalty for going off the track. The pit lane starts to fill up, too.
39/57 Russell has 11 seconds behind Norris in fourth and still needs to make another stop. After this lap, the 18-lap limit on tyres becomes moot.
38/57 Russell is flying along, setting the fastest lap on a track that’s getting quicker.
37/57 Verstappen, having gone on hard tyres, has just under seven seconds on Piastri. His Red Bull team fear the safety car…and we all know what can happen there.
36/57 What with Alonso’s hot bottom and Logan Sargeant feeling sick: are these the conditions to run this race in? “I’m not feeling well at all.”
Updated
35/57 Russell pits…so where does that leave Russell and Piastri? Russell comes out in fourth. Williams ask Logan Sargeant to come off. He promises to see it through, even though he is at the back. He’s feeling unwell, say his team.
34/57 Alonso goes off….dust all over the show….down to seventh. His rear might be even warmer now. He lost his bearings and went down the gravel. He cut up Leclerc as he came in. Ooof. That will be looked at in the VAR room. Stewards enquiry!
33/57 Russell is now in second between Verstappen and Piastri. The pit situation means it’s difficult to tell if that’s the true picture.
32/57 Norris sets another fastest lap in his McLaren. He’s a young man with serious speed.
31/57 Verstappen is told to step it up but be careful by his team.
30/57 Piastri has set the fastest lap in winning his duel with Albon.
29/57 Piastri tries to take on Albon. Norris in seventh, speeds past Alonso in eighth.
28/57 Sergio Perez, who has been driving well after his problems yesterday, now faces a penalty for driving off the track during what was a previous fastest lap.
27/57 Alonso comes in, his tyres are changed but he is not cooled down by anything. He is going to have do with having a hot bottom. Will he end up in chillblains?
26/57 Piastri makes his second pit, as does Leclerc. Piastri is in eighth. Leclerc is down to 14th. Alonso meanwhile complains that his rear end is getting hot. We all know the feeling, Nando.
25/57 Scratch that, Norris gets the fastest lap.
24/57 Perez has the fastest lap now: that Red Bull car really is a beast. He’s on the medium tyres.
23/57 Verstappen is back in front, Albon having pitted. He’s got a black and white flag for going outside track limit.
George and Lewis's immediate take after they made contact at the start 🗣️🗣️#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/JmcbnutkX6
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
22/57 After a brief lull, it looks like there’s another sequence of tyre changes to come.
21/57 The race now is between Piastri and Alonso. Meanwhile, Gasly and Russell almost come a cropper – and it’s largely Gasly’s fault.
20/57 George Russell is in 10th now. The view from inside Perez’s cockpit is hellish. Meawhile, Lewis Hamilton speaks, and says: “I am really sorry for my team. I don’t think George had anywhere to go. I am happy to take responsibility as one of the older ones. I hope George is able to get back into the points today.”
19/57 “Lance, you need to let Fernando by,” his McLaren team tell him. “He’s on a different strategy.” Lando Norris overtakes Charles Leclerc.
18/57 In comes Count Max, how far ahead of Piastri can he be? Albon is the leader, a novel position for him. Piastri is eight seconds off Verstappen and goes beyond Bottas to take fourth.
17/57 Fastest lap by Verstappen, and the last he can go for with these tyres.
16/57 Perez is in third but like Verstappen needs to come in to change his first set of tyres. Verstappen is ahead of Albon and Perez, but beyond the champ being the quickest in the race, these are a series of false positions.
15/57 Russell comes in for the second pit of his race and comes out 15th. It was a decent pit but the amount of pits will mean the true picture of this race will take a while to shake out. The first four in the race have yet to pit.
14/57 Russell is in second after all those pit stops and has set the fastest lap. Quite the race he’s having. Alonso has passed Leclerc too. The veteran is still one of the best around.
13/57 Piastri pits and comes out in front of Leclerc and Alonso in 13th. Magnussen and Lawson ahead of him slow him down but Alonso still can’t catch up.
Updated
12/57 Alonso pits from third. Leclerc and Norris move up, Alonso is down in 15th. Piastri is due in soon.
11/57 Ocon pits, will he have to do four stops? Verstappen holds the fastest lap. Piastri stays ahead of Alonso.
10/57 A view from inside the drivers’ cockpit of Perez is a fine viewpoint on how difficult this sport is. So many lights coming at you.
9/57 Russell takes 11th, past Logan Sargeant. It appears he got away from that prang without too much damage.
8/57 Russell up to 12th. He’s on the march. Alonso’s car looks a bit wobbly and he’s asked if there’s problems. He blames it on a wind that nobody else had noticed.
7/57 Piastri is the quickest man out there, maybe Max Verstappen is holding himself back with that 18-lap of tyre management in mind.
6/57 It’s Verstappen, Piastri, Alonso, Leclerc and Ocon for the first five. Russell whizzes past Perez. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg gets a 10-second penalty for starting in the wrong place – he used Sainz’s space. Whoops.
5/57 The restart….Verstappen goes away from Piastri, who is clear of Alonso. Russell is down in 14th, as Perez is 13th, and Russell tries to take him and there’s almost contact there, too. Perez started in the pit lane, remember.
4/57 Some pretty long faces in the Mercedes garage, as a few teams take to the pits. Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen get too close for comfort. This has been chaotic so far. “I’m lost for words,” says Russell. “Sandwiched, I couldn’t do anything. Lap one…f**k.”
Updated
3/57 Hamilton takes the long walk back, and gets a lift on a motorbike. He’s probably responsible for his own downfall, and George Russell says he’s sorry he wasn’t looking behind him. “He came from nowhere.”
Hamilton spun off into the gravel 😮#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/mQPLxHfS2e
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
2/57 In comes Russell for a new front wing, and a new set of hard tyres. Will he be able to continue? It seems doubtful. “What the hell,” screams Russell. “Two weeks in a row.” Hamilton had gone for the lunge. No space for Russell to go into.
Lights out, away we go....Mercedes collision
There’s a crash and the two Mercedes crash into each other. Hamilton is OUT. Russell tries to keep going but his car is damaged. What a disaster. Away goes Verstappen and Piastri is in second as the safety car takes to the track. Hamilton’s car is marooned, and off the track.
Updated
In the formation lap, Lewis Hamilton is already complaining about his tyres. Carlos Sainz’s car is sat in the garage, looking pretty forlorn for an F1 car.
Reminder: Ferrari down to one car.
BREAKING: Carlos Sainz will not take part in the Qatar Grand Prix due to a fuel system issue on his car#QatarGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/YEwAPIgRFc
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
The formation lap takes off, the track lit up by lights, giving it a futuristic look, like that of an arcade game.
There’s six GPs to go for Verstappen to open up an even bigger lead on his rivals. And 57 laps to go, with plenty of pit-lane fun to come. There’s talk of it being a four-stop race for Lewis Hamilton.
Updated
As explained by the BBC, here’s why each car will have to pit three times. The mechanics will be working overtime. It’s baking hot in Qatar.
Tyre-life limits have been imposed for Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix because of safety concerns at the Lusail circuit.
Analysis of tyres following Saturday’s sprint race confirmed fears kerb damage at the track could lead to failures.
A mandatory limit of 18 laps of total tyre life has been imposed by governing body the FIA, which will force all teams to do a minimum of three stops in the 57-lap race.
Teams will be told how many laps each set of used tyres may run for.
If teams exceed the maximum tyre life, they will be reported to the stewards and can expect a penalty.
Here’s how the sprint ended.
1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 8
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 7
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 6
4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 5
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 4
6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 3
7. Alex Albon (Williams) - 2
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 1
Red Bull’s Adrian Newey, celebrating his 25th championship as the genius car designer, says: “this has been one of the easier ones, Max Verstappen has been absolutely exceptional.”
Here’s the drivers’ standings. Can Lewis Hamilton overtake Perez?
1) Max Verstappen - 407 points
2) Sergio Perez - 223 points
3) Lewis Hamilton - 194 points
4) Fernando Alonso - 175 points
5) Carlos Sainz - 153 points
6) Charles Leclerc - 135 points
7) Lando Norris - 121 points
8) George Russell - 120 points
9) Oscar Piastri - 65 points
10) Lance Stroll - 47 points
11) Pierre Gasly - 46 points
12) Esteban Ocon - 38 points
13) Alex Albon - 23 points
14) Nico Hulkenberg - 9 points
15) Valtteri Bottas - 6 points
16) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points
17) Yuki Tsunoda - 3 points
18) Kevin Magnussen - 3 points
19) Liam Lawson - 2 points
20) Logan Sargeant - 0 points
21) Nyck de Vries - 0 points
22) Daniel Ricciardo - 0 points
Giles Richards pays tribute to the 26-year-old champion.
Yes, the Red Bull is the class of the field this year, displaying breathtaking speed through corners and in a straight line. Verstappen would repeatedly race into a three-second lead within the opening laps after which, like F1’s own Keyser Söze, he was gone.
Preamble
The title is already won, Max Verstappen collecting it via the sprint competition, so Qatar will serve as an extended lap of honour for the now three-time world champion. The rest are likely to be caught up in desert dust as the Red Bull leading man speeds away from the the field. The real sub-plots are likely to be down the field though the Mercedes are in second and third, the struggling Sergio Perez way down in 13th.
1) Max Verstappen
2) George Russell
3) Lewis Hamilton
4) Fernando Alonso
5) Charles Leclerc
6) Oscar Piastri
7) Pierre Gasly
8) Esteban Ocon
9) Valtteri Bottas
10) Lando Norris
11) Yuki Tsunoda
12) Carlos Sainz
13) Sergio Perez
14) Alex Albon
15) Nico Hulkenberg
16) Logan Sargeant
17) Lance Stroll
18) Liam Lawson
19) Kevin Magnussen
20 Zhou Guanyu
