Max Verstappen may have been crowned champion, but there is still plenty to play for in the F1 World Championship.
The Dutchman secured his fourth F1 World Championship crown in Las Vegas, moving him level with Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, and behind just Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher in the list of the sport’s most successful ever drivers. But there is no time for a weekend off, as the F1 circus moves to its final two rounds in the Middle East – starting at Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit.
A fierce battle remains ongoing in the constructers championship, which is currently led by McLaren who hold a 24 point advantage over Ferrari – whilst further down the standings just four points separate Haas, Alpine and RB in the battle for sixth position, worth millions in prizemoney to the teams, with an estimated difference of almost $20m between sixth and eighth. In the drivers’ standings. In the drivers’ standings Britain’s Lando Norris will be determined to secure second place – after seeing his challenge to Verstappen for the overall title fall short.
The three-day event is the final sprint weekend of the season – with races on both Saturday and Sunday around the 3.3 mile purpose built circuit just outside Doha.
When does the F1 Qatar Grand Prix take place?
Action gets underway on Friday November 29, with first practice running between 1.30pm and 2.30pm (British time). That is followed by the all important sprint qualifying session, where the grid for Saturday’s short race will be set – with the session scheduled to run between 5.30pm and 6.14pm.
Action on Saturday November 30 begins with the lights going out to start the 19 lap sprint race at 2pm GMT, and that is followed between 6pm and 7pm by qualifying for the GP. The main race, and penultimate Grand Prix of 2024, takes place on Sunday December 1 – starting at 4pm.
Where can I watch it?
The Qatar Grand Prix can be watched on Sky Sports F1 with a Sky or Now TV subscription, with every session live on the broadcaster’s dedicated F1 channel. There is also the official F1 TV channel which is £19.99 per year or £2.29 per month and offers delayed coverage of all races after the event as well as access to live timing. Channel 4 airs free highlights of every race. The GP highlights will be shown on Channel 4 on Sunday at 9pm.