2 weeks Ago By Keith Collantine
Formula 1 heads to the penultimate round of the season – and the final sprint event – with the drivers’ title decided but the constructors’ crown still up for grabs. Here are the talking points for the Qatar Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The contenders expect the pendulum to swing the other way in Losail.
“The conditions and circuit in Qatar suit our car well,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. However Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jnr admitted “I’m a bit worried about Qatar.” “Turn one and turn three [in Las Vegas] is exactly the type of corner you have in Qatar.
Fourth, fifth gear, long combined [steering inputs], which is exactly where we’ve been struggling. And just in that sector to the Merc, we were three tenths off. So if you keep adding those corners up, it could be a tough one for us in Qatar.
” McLaren last won the championship in 1998 If McLaren are the team to beat in Qatar, they could wrap the title up a week before the finale. One-twos in the sprint race and grand prix, plus the fastest lap, will guarantee them the title regardless of what Ferrari do. If they achieve it, McLaren will have their first championship for 26 years.
Mercedes were surprised by their performance on the cold Las Vegas Strip Circuit with its high speeds and lack of corners. They expected to be stronger in Losail, which is a very different circuit, but one at which they performed well last year. Just how competitive Mercedes will be this weekend is therefore something of a mystery even to them.
Will the all-conquering W15 of last weekend appear, or the one which has more often than not vexed its drivers with unfathomable swings in performance? Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Most F1 teams were strongly opposed to Formula One Management opening the grid up to new competitors. But since the last race came word that the team originated by Andretti, now operating under General Motors’ Cadillac brand, is poised to join as an 11th competitor in 2026, a decade since the last time F1 grids boasted 22 cars. How will teams react to the deal? How will they be recompensed for the potential loss of earnings of having to share the prize fund with a new competitor? Expect this to dominate the off-track chatter.
F1 had to add a practice session last year F1 will be eager to avoid a repeat of the problems which struck last year’s Qatar Grand Prix. Pirelli discovered its tyres were being damaged by the kerbs at the resurfaced Losail International Circuit , leading it and the series to take drastic measures. The track limits were altered to prevent drivers running onto the troublesome kerbs and an unprecedented maximum stint length of 18 laps was imposed to reduce the possibility of failures.
On top of that extra practice had to be arranged, as the sprint event format only allowed for a single hour of running. Among the steps taken to avoid a repeat this year are changes to the kerbs and the addition of gravel strips, which have worked well when introduced at other tracks this year. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Drivers suffered in the heat last year Drivers declared this the most punishing event on the calendar last year.
The race was held seven weeks earlier in the season in the hotter conditions of early October, and that plus the demanding track layout pushed drivers to extremes. Esteban Ocon was sick during the race and Logan Sargeant retired due to exhaustion. The later start to this year’s race, plus the addition of new cooling devices to the cars, should reduce the strain on the drivers.
But this is still likely to be the toughest challenge they face all season. Fernando Alonso marked his 400th appearance at a race weekend three rounds ago in Mexico. However the Qatar Grand Prix should see him make his 400th start.
Will McLaren clinch the constructors’ championship this weekend? Who will be the team to beat in Losail? Have your say below. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free Get a daily email with all our latest stories - and nothing else. No marketing, no ads.
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