World champion Lewis Hamilton continues his race to catch up in Qatar, but Max Verstappen catapults himself into second place after a rocket launch and stays at it.
There's a big surprise behind that.
Formula 1: The placements at the Grand Prix of Qatar
1 Hamilton | 2 Verstappen | 3 Alonso | 4 perez |
5 Ocon | 6 stroll | 7 Sainz | 8 Leclerc |
9 Norris | 10 Vettel | 11 Gasly | 12 Ricciardo |
13 Tsunoda | 14 Raikkones | 15 Giovinazzi | 16 Schumacher |
17 Russell | 18 mazepin | DNF Latifi | DNF Bottas |
UPDATE HERE
That was the Qatar Grand Prix on the brand new Losail International Circuit near Doha.
Hamilton clinches his second victory in a row and further shortens the gap to World Cup leader Max Verstappen.
However, with a mad start from P7, he still operates maximum damage limitation and takes second place.
Behind them, in the Alpine, the two-time world champion Fernando Alonso sensationally secured his first podium since 2014 at the age of 40. Sebastian Vettel took a point in the Aston Martin in tenth place.
Mick Schumacher in Haas crossed the finish line in 16th place.
Formula 1 in Qatar: Hamilton wins ahead of Verstappen and Alonso
There's the checkered flag!
Hamilton wins, Verstappen collects important points in the World Cup duel after the starting place penalty, but the world champion in the Mercedes shortened.
Alonso crosses the finish line in third.
Fantastic driving!
For the three of them there is rose water.
Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line in tenth, Mick Schumacher in sixteenth.
57/57:
Last round in Qatar!
Everything is clear up front: Hamilton before Verstappen.
Alonso played the safety car into the cards.
So he was able to save his tires and steers towards the podium.
Formula 1 in the live ticker: Mick Schumacher caused a safety car in Qatar shortly before the end
55/57:
Mick Schumacher oversteers and lands next to the track.
He's coming back on track.
Virtual Safety Car!
Verstappen set another fastest lap shortly beforehand.
54/57: Final
spurt in Qatar!
The last laps are running.
Hamilton is still a good seven seconds ahead of Verstappen.
But who gets the fastest lap and the extra point?
52/57:
Russel has a
puncture
- and the same thing happens to Latifi seconds later!
That wasn't good of Williams.
The Canadian parks the car on the side of the track, Russel stays in the pits.
The two are out.
50/57:
Alonso is the driver this Sunday, but Verstappen can also look forward to an extremely strong performance including a rocket launch.
This is a very important race for the 24-year-old in terms of the World Championship.
Nevertheless: If the current placements remain, his lead over Hamilton will continue to melt.
Formula 1 in Qatar in the live ticker: Alsonso is heading for the podium
49/57:
Fernando Alonso has not been on the podium since 2014.
If the current third place remains, it would be the culmination of an extraordinary season for the 40-year-old Spaniard.
47/57:
Now things are
happening in quick succession
.
Verstappen is faster than anyone else.
The extra point is currently with him and Red Bull-Honda.
45/57:
Perez in the Red Bull drives a new fastest lap and luches Hammilton the extra point.
How long will it stay there?
Not long!
Hamilton responds immediately and is the quickest way around Doha's new course!
42/57:
As soon as we write about uneventful, the two front-runners go into the pits.
But everything is going smoothly.
Uneventful?
So it can be waved through!
Everything stays the same.
41/57:
It's a relatively uneventful race at the front.
The world champion in the Mercedes and the world championship leader burn lap after lap into the fresh asphalt of Doha.
Formula 1 in Qatar: Vettel starts catching up - Seb wants to score
38/57:
Seb is back on course for points!
Vettel has pushed himself to P10.
27/57:
20 laps are left in Qatar.
At the top everything stays the same.
Hamilton's lead has grown a bit again.
It is now around 8.5 seconds.
35/57:
The Mexican Sergio Perez in the Red Bull Honda benefits from Botta's departure.
He is now on a podium course behind Hamilton and Verstappen.
34/57:
Bottas plows through the gravel bed!
The tires probably didn't take part anymore.
That is bitter!
If he's unlucky, he'll get another penalty for distributing gravel on the course.
33/57:
Raikkonen opened the second pit stops.
Only Mazepin in the Haas Ferrari and Mercedes driver Bottas were not in the pits at all.
Formula 1 in Qatar: Hamilton sets fastest lap - but Verstappen strikes back
31/57:
New fastest lap from Hamilton.
But Verstappen is not slow either.
The gap at the top is currently around 6.5 seconds.
28/57:
Only four drivers have not yet changed tires - including the two Ferraris.
But now Sainz comes into the pits.
Leclerc is likely to follow suit.
That’s the way it is.
Well done.
The stops lasted 2.2 and 2.4 seconds.
27/57:
Only 30 laps left in Qatar.
Can Verstappen still attack Hamilton?
26/57:
Mick Schumacher in the defeated Haas-Ferrari is now at the very back.
24/57:
Now Alonso goes into the pits too.
The 40-year-old joins P8 again!
Formula 1 in Qatar: The top of Hamilton and Verstappen go into the pits
21/57:
After a third of the laps, most of the pit stops are through.
The balance sheet: Hamilton remains around 8 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Alonso is third, 13 seconds back.
What are the Germans doing?
Vettel is now eleventh, Mick Schumacher is fourteenth!
19/57:
Now Hamilton was in the pits and got hard tires.
18/57:
Verstappen goes into the box!
He stands for 2.2 seconds.
He stays very close to Alonso.
17/57:
Hamilton with the new fastest race lap.
Now he already has eight seconds of buffer on World Cup leader Verstappen.
14/57:
Sebastian Vettel is making up ground.
After falling back from P10 to 17 at the start, he is fighting his way forward to P13!
12/57:
Norris collects Gasly!
The McLaren-Mercedes driver moves up to fourth place.
Perez also leaves the French behind.
Gasly in the AlphaTauri Honda drives into the pits.
11/57:
Räekkönen is the first to go into the box and get new slippers.
Hamilton's lead at the top has now grown to almost six seconds.
Formula 1: crazy start in Qatar!
Hamilton at the top - it is Verstappen's turn
8/57:
Hamilton is currently a little faster than Verstappen.
6/57:
For Sebastian Vettel it was a race to forget.
The German in the Aston Martin-Mercedes has lost seven places and is currently in 17th place.
5/57:
And another one.
The World Cup leader also pushes past Alonso and opens the hunt for Hamilton.
He is just under four seconds ahead.
The tactic begins.
4/57:
Verstappen is already in third place.
The 24-year-old doesn't hesitate for long today and leaves Gasly behind.
START:
Let's go !!!
Great start from Hamilton Hamilton.
Verstappen from P7 ignites the turbo and moves into fourth position.
Incredible!
Alonso (P3) collects Gasyl and lines up behind the world champion.
Formula 1 in the live ticker: The Qatar Grand Prix is about to start
3:01 p.m.:
The field of drivers is on the introductory lap.
It is getting serious!
Will it be decided in a few seconds at the start how the World Cup duel between Verstappen and Hamilton will continue?
3 p.m .:
The sun is gone, the floodlights on.
Everything is set up for the Qatar Grand Prix!
2.44 p.m.:
A little
foretaste of
the soccer World Cup in the coming year: The spectators at the Losail International Circuit stand up for the national anthem of the controversial desert state of Qatar.
At least catches the ear!
2:42 p.m.:
Mick Schumacher also makes a short statement.
“We have the pace to ride with Alpha.” The Schumi offspring is combative.
It starts today from the 19th
Formula 1 in Qatar in the live ticker: Red Bull boss complains about the "unbelievable" Verstappen penalty
2.38 p.m.:
"It's unbelievable," says Red Bull boss Dr.
Helmut Marko against the starting penalty for Verstappen on the Sky microphone.
“Completely incomprehensible,” he says.
He now wants to wait and see how the first round goes.
His team does not want to protest against the decision.
2.20 p.m.:
The brand new Losail International Circuit in Qatar starts in 40 minutes.
The drivers pour out and drive themselves.
It's getting exciting!
How does World Cup leader Max Verstappen react to his starting place penalty?
Can world champion Lewis Hamilton continue to catch up?
Verstappen is currently leading the World Cup with 14 points on Hamilton.
But the lead threatens to melt further - also because the Briton is sitting in a very fast Mercedes today.
Formula 1 in Qatar in the live ticker: Mega penalty for Verstappen before the race!
Hamilton wants to keep catching up
1:50 p.m.:
The World Championship leader Max Verstappen receives a starting place penalty for the Formula 1 race on Sunday in Qatar and has to tackle the Grand Prix from five positions further down.
As the world motor sport association Fia announced less than two hours before the start, the 24-year-old Red Bull driver will be punished for disregarding the "double waved yellow flags" at the end of the qualification on Saturday and not as in a dangerous situation prescribed his pace drastically reduced.
Accordingly, Verstappen starts from seventh instead of second place and thus far behind the superior pole setter Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.
Valtteri Bottas was also sanctioned for ignoring the simple yellow flags.
The Mercedes driver is moved three places back from third position.
Preliminary report: Hamilton on pole, Verstappen faces a penalty in Qatar
Doha - The record world champion is on top again!
Lewis Hamilton waved into the crowd with a smile, his black racing suit gleaming in the floodlights: For the Briton, in the most important phase of the season, everything is suddenly going according to plan again.
One week after the big victory in Brazil, he will start from pole position in the first Formula 1 race * in Qatar on Sunday (from 3 p.m. here in the live ticker and in the live stream *).
The situation is different with World Cup leader Max Verstappen (332.5 points compared to Hamilton's 318.5).
The pressure on the Dutchman is growing - especially since Verstappen now has to fear a punishment.
The Red Bull driver qualified for second place, but has to answer to the stewards on Sunday afternoon (11.00 a.m. CET): He is said to have not slowed down sufficiently in qualifying under the yellow flag.
For a similar offense, Sebastian Vettel had already received a five-place penalty for the starting grid this season.
That would be a major setback for Verstappen.
Hamilton's team-mate Bottas is also being investigated
At least some consolation for Verstappen: Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who took third place on the grid, is being investigated for the same allegation.
If the Finn is also punished, he would not stand as a buffer between the two World Cup rivals.
"I sat with the team yesterday until midnight, we found a lot where I could improve," said Hamilton after qualifying.
He wasn't up to speed in free practice: "I didn't feel good on Thursday and Friday."
Verstappen has a lot to lose: the lead over Hamilton in the World Cup is only 14 points, in the three remaining races the Englishman can still intercept him on his own.
Formula 1: Course in Qatar "great unknowns for all of us"
It is the first time that Formula 1 is a guest in Qatar, the track was only added to the calendar for Australia at short notice.
The course, actually designed for motorcycling, was alien to teams and drivers. "It's a big unknown for all of us," said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner last.
Some drivers did not even have the opportunity to get to know the route in the simulator in advance.
The balance of power was therefore uncertain when the teams first came to the Losail Circuit near Doha before the weekend.
Mercedes, which had impressed with high speeds on the straights last time Hamilton won in Brazil, seemed to have an advantage, however, as suggested by the first training sessions on Friday and Saturday.
This impression continued in qualifying - however, Verstappen got a lot out of the Red Bull.
His team-mate Sergio Perez failed to make it into the last section in eleventh place, but the Dutchman kept putting pressure on Mercedes.
In the end it was enough to at least get between the Silver Arrows.
Vettel starts in 10th place - Mick Schumacher in 19th place
A possible improvement was no longer possible for Verstappen on the last lap: Yuki Tsunoda drove hard over the curbs, a tire burst on the Japanese’s AlphaTauri, and the following drivers had to brake.
Vettel could not use his last lap either.
"That's a shame. It was okay anyway, I'm satisfied," said Vettel: "We landed in front of a Red Bull, a Ferrari and a McLaren."
The ex-world champion starts from tenth place, Mick Schumacher from 19th place.
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