The Formula 1 World Championship arrives in Qatar as the tournament fully reopens after the Las Vegas earthquake. Lando Norris, same thing From his teammate He lost points from second place by being Dismissed due to excessive wear on the board Sliding blocka violation without an explanatory margin after discovering a thickness less than the regulatory minimum. The penalty suddenly reduced his lead in the World Cup: Now he has just 24 points over Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastriequal to each other. with 58 points available this weekend thanks to the format Sprint And another Later career in Abu DhabiThe struggle for the title enters its penultimate chapter in an arena that combines extreme speed, extreme deterioration, and night.
This is Lucille’s scheme
The stage is Losail International Circuita young but already consolidated route in the calendar. The track was built in 2004 Doha is off to host the country’s first motorcycle Grand Prix, a project that was completed in just over a year. Qatar He celebrated his Formula 1 debut in 2021 After signing a ten-year agreement, his presence in the Championship is guaranteed for the next decade. Since its arrival, the ring has stood out thanks to its… Fast profile and medium and high speed curvesThese are the elements that make it a difficult technical test for both pilots and engineers.
The length of the Lusail track is 5,419 kilometers, and 57 laps are scheduled to be conducted on Sunday, bringing the total length of the track to 308,611 kilometres. More than a kilometer corresponds to the main straight, a crucial overtaking area that leads directly to braking at the first turn. The lap record has been held by Lando Norris since 2024With a time of 1:22.384. The design, originally designed for MotoGP, demonstrates its fluidity, the absence of powerful braking and the control of the associated lines that require maintaining very high average speeds throughout almost the entire turn.
Circle in numbers and tire age
Displays the layout 81 overtakes were recorded Professional life From 2024a number relevant to a track with only one clear overtaking point. odds Safety car and Virtual safety car They arrived at 67% last yearIt is a high value that adds strategic uncertainty. Max Verstappen collects two Poles In LusailWhile the victories are distributed between the Dutchman himself (2023 and 2024) and… Lewis HamiltonN (2021). To complete the statistical picture, the distance from the pole to the braking point at Turn 1 is 374 metres.
This year, in addition, Lusail City includes A Exception: Maximum 25 spins per game Tires Throughout the weekend, as detailed Pirelli In your technical document. This measure, agreed with the FIA and the teams, responds to the fact that in 2024, several tires, especially the left front tire, have reached critical levels of wear and structural fatigue. The new limit includes all track session sessions, as well as those conducted under it Safety car also Virtual safety car. Laps on the grid, formation laps, and laps following the checkered flag are excluded. As a direct result, Every driver must stop at least twice on Sunday. Before the start, Pirelli will inform each team of the number of laps available in each group.
A decisive moment in the World Cup
This is a high-stakes weekend as points are distributed in different sessions. Norris needs to achieve perfection, but he does not rely on himself, because it is also necessary for his colleague and four-time Dutch champion to fail. In light of all this, it must be noted that Verstappen arrives with a proven track record on this track: he finished second in 2021 and won in 2023 and 2024, while McLaren won the world championship. Speed races In the past two years.
Battles are not limited to the drivers’ championship. In builders, Mercedes lands in Qatar as a second power 40 points ahead of Red Bull and 53 points ahead of Ferrari. In the central region, the battle is more intense: Only 22 points separate Racing Bulls (P6) and Kick Sauber (P9), a margin that is only separated by the weekend. race It can be completely blown away.
Schedule and where to watch the F1 Qatar GP
From Friday, November 28 to Sunday, November 30, the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix will be held at Losail International Circuit. At 2:30 p.m., the first free training session will be held on Friday, and at 6:30 p.m. Classification will be done. race. The race will start on Saturday 29th at 3:00 pm. sprint; And at 7:00 pm. It will be a regular classification role. Sunday 30th of this month at 5:00 pm. The penultimate race of the season will begin. All events can be viewed through DAZN.