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Lorraine McKenna

  1. Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Lando Norris is on that fresh soft tyre now, he is going much more quickly and will get himself right back to the top.

  2. Drop zone

    16. Liam Lawson

    17. Yuki Tsunoda

    18. Esteban Ocon

    19. Lance Stroll

    20. Franco Colapinto

  3. Norris goes fastest

    The positions are changing as the circuit ramps up and Lando Norris puts down a rapid lap to move ahead of Isack Hadjar. More times come in and now Oscar Piastri is second and Max Verstappen is third. Yuki Tsunoda, after a great qualifying yesterday, has fallen into the bottom five.

    Lando NorrisGetty Images

  4. Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    It's a fine line here between the limit and being over that limit and there's a number of drivers already finding that they've stepped over that mark.

  5. Hamilton in P7

    The last thing Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton needs is another Q1 knockout. The seven-time world champion does jump up the order to P6, which has now become seventh spot.

  6. Hadjar to the top

    Lando Norris is stuck down towards the bottom of the board, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar flies to the top of the timesheets with a 1:20.603.

    Pierre Gasly finds an escape route out of the snake pit and climbs all the way to second place in his Alpine.

    Isack HadjarGetty Images

  7. Drop zone

    16. Carlos Sainz

    17. Pierre Gasly

    18. Esteban Ocon

    19. Lewis Hamilton

    20. Franco Colapinto

  8. Get Involved - 'we want three-way title fight in Abu Dhabi'

    Click the 'Get Inolved' button to have your say

    As an Englishman, I really hope Lando wins the title. As an F1 fan, anyone but Max this year. It's not good for the sport for one person to dominate. F1 needs different teams and different drivers challenging.

    Ken

    My favourite to win the race tomorrow is Norris but I’m speaking for many people when I say we want a three-way showdown in Abu Dhabi!

    Llyr

  9. Lap times are being scrubbed at an alarming rate. Esteban Ocon gets his marker wiped and is dropped into the elimination zone. He's joined there by both Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc is 16th and Lewis Hamilton is down in P19.

  10. Piastri goes quickest

    The track is evolving and different drivers are spending time at the peak of the timing tower. The Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso goes quickest, followed by George Russell's Mercedes, before Oscar Piastri, sprint winner earlier, hits a 1:20.739 on the soft compound.

    Oscar PiastriGetty Images

  11. 'Verstappen needs a really strong result'

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Max Verstappen is looking for something really special, he needs to try and stay in this championship fight down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

    To do that he needs a really strong result and to outperform the two McLarens.

  12. Gabriel Bortoleto goes top in the Sauber but Ollie Bearman is next to mount a challenge and puts his Haas above the Brazilian's car. Isack Hadjar then completes his opening flying lap and his time sends the Frenchman clear of fellow rookie Bearman and to the top of the timesheets.

  13. 'Pole position more important here than you might imagine'

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    There's a lot hanging on this qualifying session. We saw in the sprint race there was almost no overtaking particularly at the front, DRS didn't really work and drivers were finding in dirty air behind another car that they lost a lot of performance which wears the tyres out quickly.

    Pole position is even more important here than you might imagine, and that is why there's a lot of tension going into this qualifying session between the three title championship contenders.

  14. Both Williams drivers have headed out early doors on a set of soft tyres, with Carlos Sainz hitting a personal best in the first and middle sectors. The Spaniard crosses the line and gets us off the mark with a 1:22.354.

  15. Get Involved - who takes pole in Qatar?

    Click the 'Get Inolved' button to have your say

    Feels like I’m the only Brit not supporting Norris this year. Anyone else will do

    Henry

  16. Go! Go! Go!

    Normal qualifying rules apply now, so whack 18 minutes on the clock for this opening session.

    The queue to get out the pit lane is a long one; no hanging around tonight.

    Lando NorrisGetty Images

  17. Jennie Gow
    F1 pit-lane reporter at Lusail Circuit

    The sun has very much set now with dark skies above us.

    Full grandstands and why not because this could be the deciding weekend when it comes to the championship.

    Lots of people wanting lots of different permutations, but mostly they just want a good fight on track.

  18. Get Involved - who takes pole in Qatar?

    Click the 'Get Involved' button to have your say

    I think it will be a four-way shootout between Russell, Piastri, Norris and Verstappen for pole, although it suits the McLarens and Mercedes more. Verstappen naturally can pull of a miracle, things are going to get feisty!

    Akaash

  19. Listen to live commentary

    BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin, former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson are back with us. Click the 'listen live' tab at the top of the page to tune in to Sports Extra commentary.

  20. What else happened in the sprint?

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent

    Fernando AlonsoGetty Images

    After the first three corners, the only overtaking move in the points positions was when Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli took advantage of Fernando Alonso running wide out of the final corner at the end of lap 12 to pass down the inside of Turn One at the start of the following lap.

    Both Yuki Tsunoda and Antonelli were given five-second penalties for exceeding track limits too many times, leaving both in the same fifth and sixth positions.

    Alonso took two valuable points for Aston Martin in seventh while Williams' Carlos Sainz earned the final point in eighth.