The Qatar Grand Prix is the penultimate race of the season and the last to be held in a sprint format. It arrives just a week after Las Vegas, 13,000 kilometers as the crow flies from the Lusail circuit.
Both tests and the last one in Abu Dhabi take place at night, but the weather couldn’t be more different.
In the Nevada desert, track conditions were cold; However, in Qatar, pilots will have to deal with similar heat and humidity levels as in Singapore.
The Middle East circuit places particular demands on tires and this has led to the introduction of an exceptional measure (see below) that limits the maximum number of laps that can be completed on each set.
This forces drivers to stop at least twice during the race.
THE CONNECTIONSThe three hardest compounds in the range were selected: C1, C2 and C3. It was the logical choice on a circuit where the tires are exposed to similar energy levels to Suzuka, and in fact these are the only compounds used at this Grand Prix in the past.
This trio has already appeared three times this year at the start of the season, namely in Japan, Bahrain and Spain.
Most of the corners in Lusail involve high speeds, so the tires have very little time to recover. The most challenging section is between turns 12 and 14. The asphalt, which is quite slippery, usually ensures this Grainwhich contributes to high wear and tear.
IN 2024…Except for Nico Hülkenberg, who opted for the hard tires, all drivers started the GP with medium tires. The most common was the one-stop strategy, which attempted to extend the first stint on the medium mixture until well past the halfway point of the race.
The round of hard stops began on lap 34, during a red flag period. The safety car was deployed three times and in the last two some drivers opted for a sprint finish with soft handling. Now this mixture suffered too much of a drop in performance and the trick didn’t produce the desired results.
THE ROUTEThe Lusail circuit was originally conceived as a motorcycle racing circuit, which is also evident in its design: fast, fluid and with a straight line of more than a kilometer. The location on the outskirts of Doha poses particular challenges for drivers, cars and tires.
It has 16 corners, ten of which are right-handers, and due to its location in the desert, sand is a common factor that alters the development of the track. To avoid this, artificial turf areas were created around the facility.
High temperatures characterize the weekend in Qatar. Although the race takes place at night, the cockpit is a very demanding environment due to the high humidity and residual heat of the day. In recent years, some drivers have experienced discomfort at the end of the Grand Prix.
From the point of view of the tires, the temperature of the asphalt can be the cause Grainalthough the current connections appear to be more resilient, as has been the case in other races of the year.
KEYWORD: NUMBER OF TURDS
Each set of tires delivered to the teams at the start of the weekend can be used to complete a maximum of 25 laps of the Lusail circuit. Corners are counted cumulatively in all sessions on track, including those conducted under Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car.
Laps to the starting grid, introductory laps and laps completed after the checkered flag, both in the sprint and in the race, are not counted. Since the Qatar Grand Prix lasts 57 laps, each driver has to change tires at least twice. Before the start of the race, Pirelli tells the teams how many laps are left in each set.
The limit, agreed with the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams, was decided to prevent the tires from reaching a maximum level of wear, as was the case last year when they were used beyond their useful life to manage the wear. However, this puts too much strain on the tire casing.
THE STATISTICAL CORNER
This weekend sees the fourth Qatar Grand Prix, previously held in 2021, 2023 and 2024. Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Doha with two wins in a row, making Red Bull Racing also the team with the most wins. In 2023, the Dutchman secured the world championship title there.
He also set two of the three fastest laps in the race despite only starting from pole once. In the first edition of 2021, Lewis Hamilton won from pole position with Mercedes.