F1 Qatar Grand Prix 2023 - Qualifying: As it happened

He goes second, 0.158s off Russell at the top of the timesheets - both drivers on the hards.

Mercedes' good start to the weekend continues as Russell goes 0.3s clear of Alonso.

Hamilton is 0.3s clear of Russell now - both drivers on the hards.

The times are 11s off the pole time from 2021 though.

He improves to a 1m32.420s to extend his advantage to 0.8s over Verstappen.

Russell, Alonso, Sainz, Norris, Verstappen, Bottas, Hamilton, Stroll and Gasly.

The times continue to tumble as the track improves. 

A 1m34.913s for Verstappen now, 2.3s ahead of Magnussen in second. Sainz and Perez complete the top four.

A 1m39.599s for the Finn, less than a tenth ahead of teammate Zhou.

"Oh my god! It's so slippery."

A brief sensor issue for the Spaniard. Initially, he's told to slow down but it seems he can continue as normal now.

There will only be one practice session ahead of qualifying later today. 

A crucial 60 minutes of running albeit in unrepresentative conditions. 

Here's how...