F1 Qatar Grand Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more

The Dutch driver celebrated sealing his third F1 world title by finishing second in Saturday night's Qatar sprint race, which was won by Oscar Piastri, and has the perfect opportunity to toast his championship triumph in Sunday’s grand prix.

PLUS: 10 moments that won Verstappen the 2023 Formula 1 title

But all teams and drivers could be given a potential strategy curveball from the outcome of the FIA and Pirelli investigation into the tyre sidewall issues, which forced track changes at Turn 12 and 13.

An option that has been mooted is forcing all drivers into three-stop strategies for the grand prix, with a maximum of 20 racing laps allowed per tyre set across the 57-lap race, while a final call is expected on Sunday before the race.

Verstappen will be joined on the front row by George Russell, with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton third alongside Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in fourth.

After a penalty for track limits infringements dropped him out of the points in the sprint race, lead Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc starts fifth ahead of the Qatar sprint winner Piastri, who dropped from third to sixth after Friday qualifying when his best lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon line up seventh and eighth in front of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, with Piastri's team-mate Lando Norris 10th after also having his best lap deleted for track limits on Friday.

When is the F1 Qatar Grand Prix?

Date: Sunday 8 October 2023
Start time: 6:00pm BST, 8:00pm local time

The 17th round of the 2023 F1 season, the Qatar GP at the Losail International Circuit, gets under way at 8:00pm local time (6:00pm BST) on Sunday 8 October.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, celebrates with Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing, his team after securing the 2023 world drivers championship title (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98 or a month membership of £34.99 per month.

How can I watch the F1 Qatar GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Qatar GP.

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, with pre-race coverage starting at 4:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1, ahead of the race start at 6:00pm BST.

• Channels: Sky Sports F1
• Start time: 4:30pm BST, Sunday 8 October 2023

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Qatar GP here.

When can I watch the F1 Qatar GP highlights?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Japanese GP at 11:00pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two hours and 25 minutes, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2023 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

• Channel: Channel 4
• Start time: 11:00pm BST, Sunday 8 October 2023

Ferrari mechanics on the grid (Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images)

Will the F1 Qatar GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.

Live coverage of the Qatar GP will start at 6:00pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Qatar GP

Current weather forecasts predict hot and dry conditions, with low winds and a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 35 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.

How many laps is the F1 Qatar GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 57 laps of the Losail International Circuit, covering a total race distance of 308.611km.

F1 Qatar GP starting grid

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

     

Driver Info			Main Information Additional Data
Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Time	km/h
1	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	1'23.778	231.182
2	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.441	229.971
3	L. Hamilton Mercedes	44		Mercedes	Mercedes	+0.527	229.737
4	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+0.591	229.562
5	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	+0.646	229.413
6	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	+0.762	229.098
7	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	+0.775	229.063
8	E. Ocon Alpine	31		Alpine	Renault	+0.985	228.495
9	V. Bottas Alfa Romeo	77		Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	+1.280	227.703
10	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes
11	Y. Tsunoda AlphaTauri	22		AlphaTauri	Red Bull	+1.523	227.054
12	C. Sainz Ferrari	55		Ferrari	Ferrari	+1.550	226.982
13	S. Perez Red Bull Racing	11		Red Bull	Red Bull	+1.684	226.627
14	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	+1.929	225.979
15	N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team	27		Haas	Ferrari	+2.005	225.779
16	L. Sargeant Williams	2		Williams	Mercedes	+2.432	224.660
17	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	+2.567	224.309
18	L. Lawson AlphaTauri	40		AlphaTauri	Red Bull	+2.857	223.558
19	K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team	20		Haas	Ferrari	+3.268	222.503
20	Z. Guanyu Alfa Romeo	24		Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	+3.654	221.520
View full results