This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
Here’s the grid for the sprint race and our report on the qualifying session.
Norris has to settle for third. Alonso claims fourth. Verstappen has fallen to sixth.
Russell goes fastest but Piastri takes it back!
Verstappen finishes his final lap and he’s pulled out a 1’20.528 for fourth on the grid – which is beaten by Tsunoda!
Norris takes two bites to get his car into turn 15 and crosses the line four-hundredths of a second slower than Piastri.
Verstappen has a poor start to his lap and abandons it. Piastri goes quickest, 1’20.241.
Antonelli puts up a 1’20.903 but Russell beats that by three tenths of a second to go quickest.
SQ3 is go.
Antonelli fails to make the cut! But it’s not over for the Mercedes drivers as Hadjar’s best lap time is deleted.
Both Saubers drop out, as do the Haas duo.
Tsunoda has surprisingly gone faster than Verstappen in the middle sector. He crosses the line and sets a 1’21.152 to go second behind his team mate.
Verstappen picks up a tow from Hulkenberg as he finished his final lap, a 1’21.036, which moves him up to third behind the McLarens.
Verstappen sets a 1’21.295 but the McLaren pair beat that, Norris getting down to a 1’20.956. Russell looks quick too and takes third place off Verstappen.
The stewards have also decided not to investigate the turn one incident.
Norris said “Verstappen just didn’t get out of my way” at turn one.
Verstappen reported: “I had a McLaren in my way.” That likely refers to turn 16, but the stewards rule no further investigation over that.
Race control have noted Verstappen and Norris for two potential impeding incidents at turns one and 16. Norris began his final lap as Verstappen finished his and the Red Bull driver did not get out of the way until between turns one and two.
Verstappen went quickest at the end with a 1’21.172.
Hamilton falls to 18th and is out, ahead of the Alpine drivers. Lawson and Stroll are out too.
Verstappen appeared to stay on the racing line in front of Norris down to turn one as the McLaren driver caught him.
Hamilton goes 15th with his last lap which leaves him vulnerable.
Norris takes a slipstream off Verstappen as he begins his final lap. Piastri just got over the line in time to start his lap too.
Fernando Alonso goes fastest! 1’21.276 for the Aston Martin driver.
Hamilton is now 19th and will only get one more lap and it doesn’t look like he’ll take the chequered flag at a favourable time either – two minutes to go, he’s coming around to start his lap.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli goes 15th with his first run, George Russell takes fifth behind Gabriel Bortoleto who’s gone even faster than Hulkenberg.
Nico Hulkenberg goes third! Great lap by the Sauber driver. It becomes fourth as Piastri goes fastest.
Norris retakes the top time, 1’21.398.
The Mercedes drivers are yet to set a time. Bearman and Hamilton have identical times, 1’22.610, but Hamilton set his second and is in the drop zone.
The Red Bull driver goes back to the top of the times with a 1’21.494, a tenth of a second up on Norris.
Verstappen hits back, beating Norris’s first sector time as he starts his second flying lap.
Norris takes three tenths of a second off Verstappen’s time in the first sector but he’s not far behind Liam Lawson through the quick turns 12, 13 and 14. Nonetheless he goes fastest with a 1’21.621. Piastri pops in second, within two-tenths of a second.
Verstappen puts up a 1’22.258, seven tenths of a second off his soft tyre time from practice. Charles Leclerc goes within a tenth of a second of him.
Norris had to wait so long Verstappen passes him on his first lap as he joins the track. Piastri follows Norris out having waited in the pits.
Sprint race qualifying has begun.
As usual drivers are required by the rules to use the medium rubber in the first two rounds of this qualifying session and then softs for the final round.
The usual rush for the pit lane exit has begun. Verstappen is at the head of the queue. Norris is also in the pit lane but he’s at the back of the queue in 12th. Piastri is still in the garage for now with his tyre warmers on.
Gabriel Bortoleto was given a five-place grid penalty in Las Vegas but that will apply to the grid for the grand prix, not the sprint race.
The McLaren drivers were quickest in the sole practice session earlier today. Mercedes did not seem to have good pace on the soft tyre after being quick on the hard. Max Verstappen only did one lap on the softs and slipped to sixth by the end so he surely has a quicker car than it may have seemed.
Sprint race qualifying at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix is coming up next.
2025 Qatar Grand Prix
- Newey “determined not to dilute” his focus on car design in team principal role
- Russell hoping FIA will extend DRS zone for Qatar Grand Prix
- “I’ll f***ing do it to him tomorrow”: How Sainz’s tactics infuriated Leclerc
- Verstappen expects sprint race “will not be a lot of fun” with “really bad bouncing”
- Piastri claims sprint race pole position ahead of Russell and Norris