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

He said he felt ‘sorry’ for the team, and felt that George ‘probably had nowhere to gp’. The seven-time champion takes responsibility for the incident, and admits its ‘very rare’ that this kind of thing happens.

1. Verstappen

2. Piastri

Bottas is committed to a four-stop strategy, but he’s got to a high place at this stage.

Stroll has let Alonso past, per the team radio command.

Alonso’s in 7th but they’re on different strategies, so the team orders have been handed down.

He’s coming in to box on this lap… but he did briefly lead the pack.

Albon takes the lead. Verstappen in second.

Leclerc’s Ferrari is in ninth place as it stands

Verstappen, Albon, Perez, Zhou.

They need to come in in the next two laps…

He’s now down in 15th place

He was second. Where’s he coming out?

Alonso’s taken 14th place from Leclerc

Leclerc coming in at the end of this lap – he’s now third as well.

Penalties might be coming

An early end to Hamilton’s race, after clashing with Russell on the first corner.

The Dutchman continues to look likely to rack up the points.

He went to the wrong spot, in the chaos and confusion of Sainz being missing from the grid. Hulkenberg currently racing in 8th place.

Just as I type that, Russell takes 13th from Perez! He’s got his work cut out to get back into the front runners after that opening corner calamity.

Russell on his tail at 14th following some early pit stops.

1. Verstappen

2. Piastri

4. Leclerc

8. Tsunoda

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

His car is in the gravel, and he climbs out of the vehicle in a sombre fashion. It’s over on the first corner for the seven-time champ.

On the opening corner. Wild.

If drivers go over the track limits on four occasions, they will serve a five second penalty. With many exceeding the track in qualifying, it may be something to keep an eye on. I’ll keep you posted.

The field will chop and change as they stick to the strict tyre limits. It will be fascinating to see how they end up at the end.

Can anyone do anything about the wonder of Max Verstappen?

We’re about to find out…

There’s been none of the wind that played havoc with the rest of the weekend, but it is very humid, and the drivers have noticed.

Who will conquer the challenge, and who will be left trailing behind?

Performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

Just under 15 minutes until lights out at Lusail.

Frederic Vasseur, the team principal for Ferrari, spoke to Sky Sports about the fuel system issue which means Sainz misses today’s race.

Vasseur said it was ‘too late to change something’, which was a pity because ‘[Sainz] was in a good momentum after Monza and Singapore’.

Oscar Piastri got pole in the shootout, and despite losing the lead in the 19-lap Sprint yesterday, he was able to get it back, and hold on for 8 points.

Today, he starts in 6th place on the grid – what can he achieve across 57 laps?

Red Bull have the trophy already, but there’ll be lots to fight left in the other nine teams to get the best possible position.

1. Red Bull – 630 points

2. Mercedes – 314 points

3. Ferrari – 288 points

4. Aston Martin – 222 points

5. McLaren – 186 points

6. Alpine – 84 points

7. Williams – 23 points

8. Haas – 12 points

9. Alfa Romeo – 10 points

10. Alpha Tauri – 5 points

With Sainz out, and Perez starting in the pit-lane, will any of the lesser teams be able to take advantage and get some valuable points on the board?

1. Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Russell (Mercedes)

3. Hamilton (Mercedes)

4. Alonso (Aston Martin)

5. Leclerc (Ferrari)

6. Piastri (McLaren)

7. Gasly (Alpine)

8. Ocon (Alpine)

If you’re looking for some Sunday evening reading, Jonathan McEvoy broke down the racing genes that have led to Max Verstappen becoming a phenomenon in F1.

The FIA has imposed tyre-life limits on tdday’s race because of safety concerns.

Tyres can only be used for a total of 18 laps, forcing all drivers to enforce a three-stop strategy in the 57-lap race.

Those who exceed the maximum tyre life will be reported to stewards, and will be penalised accordingly.

Sergio Perez starts tonight’s race from the pit-lane. The team at Red Bull fixed the damage from his crash during yesterday’s Sprint, but the new power-unit means he exceeds his allowance, and has to start from the back.

A huge blow to Ferrari.

It’s been a long weekend for F1, and it was on Friday night that the qualifying for today’s race took place. Max Verstappen claimed pole position, and will lead the pack into the corner as three-time World Champion. George Russell joins him on the front row.

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

The race gets underway at 8pm in Qatar, or 6pm in the UK, which is just under an hour away. I’ll be here with the build up and race updates from Lusail.