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McLaren rookie Oascar Piastri took home his first Formula One win as Verstappen clinched his third straight title.

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Verstappen’s season in 10 moments

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Even through a year where Verstappen’s wins felt like they blurred together at points, the season has not been without its defining moments. Races that could so easily have swung another way shaped Verstappen’s march to the championship.

Without his struggles in Azerbaijan, composure in Monaco, or total domination of the Austria weekend, Verstappen’s year could have looked different. Here’s our look at the 10 moments that stood out in — and defined — an historic year.

How F1's sprint shootout works

Well it works pretty much just like a standard grand prix qualification, though on a tighter timeline, fitting the sprint race set for later today.

Q1: 12 minutes, bottom five drivers drop out

Q2: 10 minutes, bottom five drivers drop out

Q3: 8 minutes, sets the top 10 starting order

We'll have seven-minute breaks between sessions if you need to plan your coffee-grabbing moments.

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Practice session wrapped up

That's a wrap on the track familiarization session, which is essentially an extra 10 minutes of practice so the drivers can try out the new track limits at Turns 12 and 13, which were the problem points with the curbs yesterday. The curbs have been painted, so they are more visible to the drivers, and the track limit has been brought in by 80cm to reduce how much they are running over them.

Want to guess who posted the fastest time?

Rubber neckers

A quick rundown of tire times we saw yesterday.

FIA introduces last-minute tire measures over safety concerns

Aston Martin F1

The FIA has confirmed this morning in Qatar it will introduce some emergency tire measures for today’s on-track running at Lusail after tire concerns through Friday’s running.

When Pirelli checked the tires that completed stints of around 20 laps in practice yesterday, it found a separation between the topping compound and the carcass cords on many of tires.

The concern is that tires which complete stints that are longer than this could be subject to a potential loss of air and damage.

The FIA said the issued was “likely been caused by the high-frequency interference between the tire sidewall and the 50mm ‘pyramid’ curbs used extensively at this circuit, aggravated by the propensity to ride those curbs.”

Earlier in the weekend, a number of drivers highlighted the issues with the curbs that could damage the cars — but they’ve been having an impact on the tires instead.

In order to combat the issue, the FIA has introduced a number of steps ahead of today’s running in Qatar:

• Track limits at Turns 12 and 13, where drivers have been running over the curb, will be revised.
• An extra 10-minute practice session will take place at 4 p.m. local time to allow drivers to familiarize themselves with the changes to track limits. The sprint shootout will start 20 minutes later than planned at 4:20 p.m.
• Analysis of the tires used in the sprint race, which is 19 laps, will then lead to decisions on any action for the grand prix.
• But if the problem is still evident for the race, teams may be told they cannot use tires for any more than 20 laps (or 22 laps for a used set), and everyone would be forced to complete at least three pit stops in the 57-lap race.

Pirelli is set to talk to the media in an hour about the matter.

It's championship Saturday for Formula One

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For all his dominance, Max Verstappen does seem to not win Formula One championships in a straightforward fashion. And as we prepare for his third consecutive coronation in Qatar this weekend, there will once again be a strange air about things.

Barring a shock, Verstappen will clinch the title in Saturday’s sprint race. He leads Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez by 177 points, while the maximum anyone can score from here on out is 180. So a top-six finish in the sprint — no matter where Pérez finishes— will secure Verstappen the crown. Despite an early challenge from Pérez, who won two of the opening four races, the championship has never really been in doubt.

Verstappen has delivered what is likely to be remembered as the most dominant season in F1 history, including a record 10 consecutive wins. His total tally of 13 is just two shy of his own record from last year, with six GPs left on the calendar.

But winning it on a Saturday is going to feel a little bit empty.

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A sprint race refresher

Formula One introduced sprint races in 2021 in a bid to pack more spectacle in racing weekends with a format that would have drivers go flat-out. After running three sprint weekends in 2021 and 2022, it’s doubled the number to six for 2023. The Qatar edition today is the fourth – the final two sprint races occur in Austin and São Paulo.

The qualifying session on Friday set the order for the GP. These Saturday sprint races have their own Saturday qualifying session. Dubbed the “Sprint Shootout,” it replaces the Saturday practice session and follows a standard qualifying format, just with shorter times.

The winner of the 19-lap sprint race on Saturday takes home eight points, second place gets 7, third gets 6, and so on through P8.

Hello and welcome

Welcome to The Athletic's live coverage of the fourth Formula One sprint Saturday of 2023. It's the first time the Lusail International Circuit has hosted one of these events, so we're eager to see how it plays out. So far, the sandy, windy and hot weather have made for an interesting race weekend. We're glad you've joined us for the ride.

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