On a weekend of non-stop surprises, one has to wonder what fate has in store for us over the next couple of hours.

The weekend began with three drivers, among them the local hero about to make his 300th start, and the world champion elect, going down with a case of Montezuma's revenge.

Then came news that Esteban Ocon was out for the remainder of the weekend, but not due to the previously mentioned ailment, or, it was made very clear, a violent altercation with his team boss.

Liam Lawson, who already had a one-place grid drop for some silliness involving Max Verstappen - who was similarly penalised - was then disqualified from qualifying (?!?) for something neither he nor the rest of us understand, and which rightly holds the 2026 regs up to further ridicule.

That said, the kiwi has taken advantage of it all by taking on a new engine, or rather adding it to his pool, and therefore starting from the pitlane.

Audi had already been fined for moving parts between garages while covered with sheets - the parts not the team members moving them, having already drawn the ire of the stewards by sending out a car with a cooling fan still attached.

Alonso was likewise summoned for breaking a "general safety" rule, which, again, nobody had ever heard of before, and which actually referred to his failure to replace his steering wheel after getting out of his car.

In the post-race interviews, the Spaniard answered a four-question interview with just 8 words, none of which were expletives, leading to online speculation that he would give the race a miss and head straight to Brazil.

Isack Hadjar was up before the beak for pushing a 'fan' who was pestering him as he tried to make his way through the all-day fiesta that is Club Tropicana, aka The Paddock, on his way to FP1.

Clearly not trusting the drivers, and just to be on the safe side, Race Control took the rare step of issuing instructions in terms of driving standards on the opening lap.

Unlike last week, there are no permutations, it doesn't matter what George Russell or Lewis Hamilton do today, Kimi Antonelli only has to score two points and the title is his, thereby putting all of us out of our misery.

However, if F1 had done the right thing and cancelled the Qatar and Abu Dhabi events the title would already have been won.

With that in mind, today Yamaha announced its withdrawal from the forthcoming MotoGP event in Qatar. In reaction, MotoGP, which, like F1, is owned by Liberty Media, warned of repercussions. This at a time 17 riders are said to be against the event going ahead.

Finally, F1 wanted, assuming he does secure the title today, Antonelli to be presented with the trophy, if only for publicity purposes, but the FIA stood firm and said it would be presented at the official ceremony in December as usual. No doubt F1 was already selling 'fans' in the paddock the opportunity for photo-ops with the new champion... form an orderly queue here.

And that's just the bits we remember.

As for the race, Hamilton starts from pole, with teammate Leclerc right behind. Ferrari's first pole of the year, and the Briton's first for the Maranello outfit, we have our doubts whether this can be converted into a win.

Like last weekend, the SF26 has shown good pace but it is also somewhat fragile, as we saw earlier in the weekend, then there is the usual question mark in terms of strategy.

McLaren had looked strong but fell apart when it mattered, and it is still unclear what happened to Piastri in qualifying. However, one can't help but feel that the Woking team will be in the mix.

As ever, the Red Bull pair have been complaining all weekend, yet both clearly have pace, so we wouldn't write-off a strong showing from the Austrian team.

However, Mercedes must head into the race as favourites, and with Antonelli a shoo-in for the title today, it would be understandable if the German team gives Russell a helping hand.

As ever, much will depend on the first lap, the first corner, and that long, long run to said Turn.

RB will have to rely on Lindblad, while Gasly and Colapinto will need to take advantage of Lawson's 'absence'. Audi will be feeling confident, while Williams is looking a little stronger this weekend.

On paper, both a one-stop and a two-stop are competitive options, with several medium and soft combinations capable of delivering a very similar overall race time. The final choice will depend on a range of factors, including each car's characteristics, aerodynamic set-up levels and, above all, the traffic drivers may encounter after a pit stop.

Many teams may choose to start on the medium and switch to the soft between laps 35 and 41, taking it through to the chequered flag. In this scenario, tyre management will remain an important factor despite the relatively low degradation levels. The alternative two-stop strategy would involve starting on the soft, followed by a stint on the medium and a final stint once again on the soft.

According to Pirelli's simulations, there is no significant difference in total race time between these two options. However, teams opting for the two-stop strategy will need to carefully assess the impact of traffic, as the number of cars they may need to overtake after each stop could prove decisive.

The hard does not appear to be a particularly competitive choice compared with the main alternatives. An early race neutralisation could alter some strategic scenarios, giving teams the option of completing the race on the white-banded rubber or moving towards a two-stop strategy. From a tyre behaviour perspective, compared with Friday, the Italian manufacturer has not observed any significant abrasion or graining, and several long runs showed tyres remaining in very good condition.

Further evidence of the circuit's continuous evolution came during qualifying, the first session in which drivers completed an additional preparation lap before their flying lap, and the final one in which they headed straight into the decisive lap.

As you would imagine, Piastri has lots of fresh softs, three sets, while Norris, Antonelli, Verstappen and Leclerc have one set apiece. All have one set of fresh mediums.

The pitlane opens and Verstappen leads the way, followed by Bortoleto, Albon, Lindblad and Hirakawa.

Air temperature is currently 23 degrees C, while the track temperature is 46 degrees.

Sadly, the timing system, which has been playing up all weekend, has failed yet again.

All are starting on softs bar Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Bortoleto and Lawson who are on mediums. Fresh rubber for all bar Hamilton, Russell, Hadjar and Hirakawa.

They head off on the formation lap, all getting away cleanly. However, Hamilton locks-up in Turn 1 and is left with a flat-spot.

The grid forms.

They're away! A string start from Hamilton and Leclerc, while Russell is slow off the line. As Hamilton leads the field towards Turn 1 the cars behind form an orderly queue in order to benefit from the tow.

Into Turn 1 Hamilton is on the inside with Leclerc, who has passed Russell, is looking to go around the outside of him. In Turn 2 they remain side-by-side, while Verstappen is third ahead of the Mercedes pair, Russell having been passed by the Dutchman and Antonelli into the first corner.

Hamilton still holds the lead as they exit Turn 3, while further back Norris and then Sainz run wide.

In Turn 4, Leclerc goes around the outside of Hamilton, and in the process of defending Hamilton and his teammate both run wide. Leclerc cuts the corner completely and rejoins leading Verstappen who has nipped through on the inside of Hamilton in Turn 6.

Just behind, Russell hit Hadjar in Turn 6, sending the Red Bull into a spin.

At the end of Lap 1, it's: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Antonelli, Russell, Lindblad, Colapinto, Norris, Piastri and Hulkenberg. Hadjar has dropped to last.