Red Bull sealed the Constructors’ Championship at the Japan GP two weeks ago, and VER can take the Drivers’ Championship this weekend. (Both of course should still have asterisks because they’re still benefitting from breaking the rules but we’re not supposed to mention that or they get upset.)
Qatar is the 4th sprint format this season, leaving USA (COTA), and Brazil as the remaining Grands Prix to follow this schedule. It’s also the second night race, the other being Singapore.
Quick reminder: the sprint weekend format is below
- Fri am FP1 (only FP)
- Fri pm Quali for race
- Sat am Sprint Shootout (quali for Sprint)
- Sat pm Sprint race
- Sun am x
- Sun pm Race
It’s 8pm local time. Air temperature 31°C; track 34°C; humidity 53%
VER was fastest in Practice (1:27.428), followed by SAI, LEC, ALO and PER.
Qualifying (for the race)
Qualifying session 1 (Q1)
There’s a lot of cars rushing out of the garages but then they crawl at the end of the pit lane
VER 1:26.884 on soft tyres
ALO 1:26.715
STR’s lap time is deleted for exceeding track limits
LEC 1:26.444
NOR 1:26.043 … but it’s deleted
ALO 1:25.685
Track continues to evolve as they clear sand off the racing line
(BOT P2)
(RUS P2)
5mins left; bottom 5 are ZHO, ALB, LAW, MAG, NOR
LEC 1:25.452
NOR 1:25.131, STR P16
LAW P13, HUL P16
VER 1:25.007
ALB P15, LAW P16
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are LAW, HUL, STR, ZHO, MAG
MAG P17
LAW P16
ZHO P20
HUL P9, ALB P16
STR P17
ALB P15, SAR P16
Back of the grid: SAR, STR, LAW, MAG, ZHO
Incident involving HAM, TSU, LAW and PIA noted – failing to follow race directors instruction – maximum lap time
Qualifying session 2
PIA 1:25.745 on used softs
LEC 1:25.348
GAS 1:25.218
VER 1:24.758
(RUS P2)
(HAM P3)
5mins left; bottom 5 are PIA, HUL, SAI, BOT, NOR
SAI and LEC both abandon their laps after the wind caused the Ferraris to run wide
PIA 1:24.724
NOR 1:24.685
1min left; everyone on track
VER 1:24.483
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are SAI, TSU, OCO, ALB, HUL
TSU P11
OCO P5, BOT P11
HAM 1:24.381
PER’s lap time deleted; drops him to P13
Middle of the grid: TSU, SAI, PER, ALB, HUL
Top 10 shootout is between HAM, VER, NOR, PIA, RUS, GAS, OCO, LEC, ALO and BOT
Qualifying session 3
LEC runs wide due to the wind again, aborts his first flying lap
BOT 1:25.586
ALO 1:25.257
NOR 1:24.088
LEC P4
NOR’s lap time is deleted
PIA 1:24.540
OCO P2
VER 1:23.778
RUS P2
GAS P6
HAM P2
LEC P5
Order after the first run: VER, HAM, RUS, PIA, LEC, OCO, ALO, GAS, BOT, NOR
4mins left; cars are preparing for a final run
RUS is stationary in the pit lane – when VER did this he was given a reprimand but the stewards then said that was a mistake so expect RUS to get a penalty
Did NOR run wide again?
BOT P6
LEC P4
Chequered flag; order is VER, HAM, RUS, LEC, PIA, BOT, OCO, ALO, GAS, NOR
VER pits
ALO P3
NOR P2
OCO P8
RUS P3
PIA P4
GAS P8
HAM pits so he’s P5
Front of the grid: VER, NOR, RUS, PIA, HAM, ALO, LEC, GAS, OCO, BOT
Replay of both VER and HAM running wide due to the wind; both aborted their laps
Provisional grid: VER, NOR, RUS, PIA, HAM, ALO, LEC, GAS, OCO, BOT, TSU, SAI, PER, ALB, HUL, SAR, STR, LAW, MAG, ZHO
but will NOR’s lap time be deleted?
Yes, NOR’s lap time deleted, moving his teammate up to P3 …but then PIA’s time is deleted too
Slow decisions from the stewards caused confusion for the interviews – they were expecting NOR but PIA stepped up, and as his interview ends he’s told he’s going to be P6
Provisional grid: VER, RUS, HAM, ALO, LEC, PIA, GAS, OCO, BOT, NOR, TSU, SAI, PER, ALB, HUL, SAR, STR, LAW, MAG, ZHO
Overnight news
Pirelli have discovered concerning problems with their tyres, resulting in some changes for the remainder of this weekend:
- Track limits at Turns 12 and 13 will be revised – the white line (marking the edge of the track) will be brought in by 80cm, trying to stop the drivers using the kerbs so much
- There will be extensive tyre analysis following the 19-lap sprint race, to determine if there need to be further changes
- Assuming the problem remains, there will be THREE mandatory pit stops for the race, so that the tyres aren’t run for more than 20 laps
- There’s an additional practice session (only for 10mins) before the Sprint Shootout session so the drivers can get used to the new corner profiles
Wow! There didn’t seem to be many problems in Friday’s Quali session but I guess that’s because they only ran each set for a few (less than a dozen) laps
However, go back to Qatar GP in 2021 when a few (four?) cars had tyres fail; the track has been resurfaced since then, and the FIA say the kerbs meet the FIA’s specifications (Let’s not mention the US GP 2005 at Indianapolis!)
Pirelli’s Motorsport Director said the tyres were a long way from failing, so it seems like a big reaction to a minor problem?
There have also been questions about STR and the Aston Martin team following his unprofessional “interview” after he was knocked out at the end of Q1. If he wasn’t the owner’s son, would he still be there?
Sprint Shootout (Qualifying for the Sprint)
The sun is setting but the Shootout is only 12+10+8mins (for the 3 parts)
Remember that in the Sprint Shootout the tyre compounds are fixed, with mediums for SQ1 and SQ2, then softs for SQ3
Sprint Qualifying session 1 (SQ1)
Radio from RUS asking whether his next lap should be a push lap; apparently the pit wall are still discussing it – nothing like leaving it to the last minute!
SAI 1:29.047
LEC 1:26.995
PER 1:26.563
NOR 1:26.464
RUS 1:26.359 but did he run wide?
(GAS P2)
VER 1:25.510
Lap time deletions for a few drivers, including GAS
5mins left; only 11 lap times on the board, so 9 drivers need to focus on staying inside the white lines
(NOR P2)
More times deleted including LEC and HAM
3mins left; bottom 5 are MAG, LAW, STR, SAR, ZHO
RUS 1:25.413 on his third flying lap – the tyres seem to be holding up well
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are LEC, MAG, STR, LAW, SAR
Yellow flag –
SAR P14, TSU P16
LAW P9, ALB P16
LEC P10, SAR P16
TSU P15, ZHO P16
SAR’s time is deleted so he’s P20
STR P17 – he lost the tail in Turn 5
Back of the grid: STR, ALB, TSU, MAG, SAR
Incident involving (long list of drivers) noted – failing to follow race directors instruction – maximum lap time
Sprint Qualifying session 2
RUS 1:26.232
HAM 1:26.069
PER 1:25.824
HAM’s time is deleted
PIA 1:25.692
VER 1:25.199
NOR 1:24.947
Radio from RUS noting that the wind has picked up
3mins left; bottom 5 are LAW, SAI, LEC, ZHO, BOT
(SAI P9, LEC P4, but then SAI’s time is deleted)
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are BOT, ZHO, GAS, LAW, SAI
GAS P8, HUL P11
HAM’s time deleted again so he’s down to P10
LAW P11
SAI P5, HAM P11
HUL P9, GAS P11
BOT P14
LAW’s time deleted; he’s now P14
Middle of the grid: GAS, HAM, BOT, LAW, ZHO
Incident involving RUS and GAS noted – failing to follow race directors instruction – maximum lap time
Sprint Qualifying session 3
VER sitting at the pit exit waiting for SQ3 to start and allowing his soft tyres’ temps to come down a bit
The Ferrari duo roll out of the pits next, followed by PER but everyone else remains in their garages
VER 1:24.543
SAI P2
VER’s time deleted
LEC P2 … also deleted
PER 1:25.382
VER’s cooldown lap counts as P3
LEC 1:25.131
PIA 1:24.575
LEC’s time deleted again
NOR 1:24.536
LEC P6
PER P3 … but it’s deleted
RUS P3
OCO P5
Chequered flag; order is NOR, PIA, RUS, PER, OCO, SAI, VER, LEC; no time yet for ALO, HUL
VER P3
HUL P5
LEC P5
PIA 1:24.454
SAI P5
ALO P5
Front of the grid: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, ALO, SAI, LEC, HUL, PER, OCO
Provisional grid for Sprint: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, ALO, SAI, LEC, HUL, PER, OCO, GAS, HAM, BOT, LAW, ZHO, STR, ALB, TSU, MAG, SAR
ALO’s time has been deleted, dropping him from P5 to P9
Sprint Race
The sun has set
Grid: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, SAI, LEC, HUL, PER, ALO, OCO, GAS, HAM, BOT, LAW, ZHO, STR, ALB, TSU, MAG, SAR
PIA leads everyone away on the formation lap
Front 3 are on medium tyres; RUS, SAI and LEC on softs; HUL and PER on mediums; ALO, OCO and GAS on softs; rest are on mediums except for STR and SAR on softs
Interesting to see the hare vs tortoise with the two combinations – a speedy start for some but will their soft tyres lose performance before the end?
The lights are a bit slow
01/19: Not a great start for NOR – he’s down to P5 before Turn 1
Someone’s off into the gravel – LAW?
HAM and BOT battling over P12
SC deployed because LAW is still stuck in the gravel
02[SC]: PIA, RUS, SAI, LEC, VER, NOR, ALO, OCO, HUL, PER, GAS, HAM, BOT, STR, ZHO, MAG, ALB, SAR, TSU; out: LAW
SC in at the end of this lap
03: ALO inside NOR but the McLaren hanfs on to P6
ALO attacks again
STR and BOT squabble over P13; the Aston Martin comes out ahead
RUS sneaks past PIA to steal P1
SAR slides off, into the gravel
SC deployed again
04[SC]: RUS, PIA, SAI, LEC, VER, NOR, OCO, ALO, HUL, GAS, PER, HAM, STR, BOT, ZHO, MAG, ALB, TSU; out: SAR, LAW
06[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
07: PIA moves off the racing line to try to break SAI’s tow but that’s the dirty side of the track, so the Ferrari closes in
HAM runs a bit wide, letting STR close up
08: RUS fastest lap 1:28.207
Lots of cars running wide – they might have their lap times deleted but it might be worth it for a few laps
09: PIA f/lap 1:28.045
VER takes P4 from LEC
RUS opening a small gap, so PIA doesn’t have DRS to defend against SAI
10/19: RUS, PIA, SAI, VER, LEC, NOR, ALO, OCO, HUL, PER, GAS, HAM, STR, BOT, ZHO, MAG, ALB, TSY
VER easily past SAI for P3
HAM takes P11 from GAS
PIA has caught up to RUS
11: PIA has DRS to glide past RUS for P1
VER f/lap 1:27.603
NOR takes P5 from LEC
PER, HUL and OCO off into the gravel in Turn 2; HUL recovered but the other two are stuck
SC deployed for a third time
12[SC]: PIA, RUS, VER, SAI, NOR, LEC, ALO, HAM, GAS, BOT, ALB, TSU, STR, ZHO, MAG, HUL; out: OCO, PER, SAR, LAW
Replay shows OCO, HUL and PER going into T2 side by side; OCO and HUL make contact; OCO spins and all three are in the kitty litter
STR, ZHO, MAG and HUL all pitted
Replay of radio from RUS saying his tyres are done and he really thinks they should box; told no, stay out because he’ll be right at the back if he stops
HUL pits; retires
13[SC]: Radio for VER telling him to look after his tyres; VER wants to pass PIA; he’s told just focus on finishing
14[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
15/19: PIA, RUS, VER, SAI, NOR, LEC, ALO, HAM, GAS, BOT, ALB, TSU, STR, ZHO, MAG; out: HUL, OCO, PER, SAR, LAW
LEC has a look inside NOR and takes P5
GAS takes P8 from HAM
16: VER inside RUS to take P2
ALB past BOT for P10
17: VER f/lap 1:25. 945
NOR around the outside of LEC to reclaim P5
NOR then lines up the other Ferrari; takes P4 from SAI
HAM reclaims P8 from GAS when the Alpine locked up
18: VER f/lap 1:25.604
Radio from LEC suggesting the team tell SAI to let him pass
HAM dives inside ALO for P7
HAM right on LEC’s rear wing
19/19: ALB closing on ALO
NOR takes P3 from RUS
HAM takes P6 from LEC
ALB takes P8 from ALO
ALB now closing on LEC
HAM takes P5 from SAI
PIA takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: PIA, VER, NOR, RUS, HAM, SAI, LEC, ALB; ALO, GAS, BOT, TSU, STR, MAG, ZHO
DNF: HUL, OCO, PER, SAR, LAW
VER takes the Drivers’ Championship (still needs an asterisk)
Sadly VER overshadows PIA’s maiden win
Race
The FIA have ruled that tyres can do no more than 18 laps, so the 57 lap race means a minimum of 3 pit stops per car!
Grid: VER, RUS, HAM, ALO, LEC, PIA, GAS, OCO, BOT, NOR, TSU, ALB, HUL, SAR, STR, LAW, MAG, ZHO; PER will start from the pit lane
Note: SAI will not start the race after a fuel system issue was detected
VER leads everyone away on the formation lap
Looks like they’re all starting on used tyres
01/57: HAM and RUS make contact in Turn 1 – they’re both off, into the gravel but RUS recovers
SC deployed
02[SC]: VER, PIA, ALO, LEC, OCO, NOR, GAS, TSU, BOT, HUL, ALB, SAR, STR, MAG, LAW, ZHO, PER, RUS; out: HAM, SAI
RUS pits; new mediums go on
Replay shows RUS tried to squeeze between VER and HAM
Radio from HAM saying he was taken out by his teammate but RUS had nowhere to go – HAM could have gone a bit wider
03[SC]: HAM walked across the track, so that’s bound to be a penalty
Incident involving HUL noted – incorrect starting location (Presumably he was in SAI’s P12 slot because HUL was P14)
04[SC]: BOT, MAG, STR, LAW all pit
SC in at the end of this lap
Radio from RUS still frustrated about that collision; Toto Wolff tells him to focus (even though Toto is at home, not in Qatar)
05/57: VER, PIA, ALO, LEC, OCO, NOR, GAS, TSU, HUL, ALB, SAR, ZHO, PER, RUS, BOT, MAG, STR, LAW
RUS kicks up the dust as PER defends “robustly”
06: PIA has ALO on his tail; ALO will get DRS next lap
RUS has another go at passing PER… takes P13
HUL given 10sec penalty for starting in the wrong grid slot
07: PIA fastest lap 1:29.328
ALO runs wide and falls back to 2sec behind PIA
08: VER f/lap 1:20.083
ALB has a look at TSU
MAG tucked up behind STR
RUS takes P12 from ZHO
10/57: VER, PIA, ALO, LEC, OCO, NOR, GAS, HUL, ALB, RUS, SAR, ZHO, PER, BOT, STR, MAG, LAW, TSU; out: HAM, SAI
11: OCO pits; new mediums; rejoins P17
I wonder how many stewards are keeping track of the 18 lap limit for tyres (Fortunately the timing chart shows the number of laps they’re run the tyres)
12: ALO pits, folllowed by GAS
Black and white flag for LAW for exceeding track limits too many times
RUS inside ALB for P6
13: PIA pits, as does LEC
14: NOR pits, as do HUL and SAR – HUL has to serve his 10sec penalty before the mechanics can touch the car
RUS f/lap 1:28.742
15/57: RUS pits; rejoins P15
16: PIA f/lap 1:28.677
17: VER f/lap 1:27.875
18: VER pits; rejoins P2 behind ALB who has yet to pit – Williams tweet “Stop the count” 🙂
PIA takes P4 from BOT
Radio for STR telling him to let teammate ALO by because they’re on different strategies
19: ALB and ZHO pit, so now everyone has made their first mandatory stop
NOR past LEC for P6
20/57: VER, PIA, BOT, ALO, STR, NOR, LEC, OCO, GAS, RUS, MAG, LAW, TSU, ALB, PER, SAR, ZHO, HUL
21: RUS attacking GAS; GAS squeezes RUS off track
22: BOT, STR, MAG and LAW all pit
23: PER f/lap 1:27.412
Black and white flag for ALB for exceeding track limits too many times
24: NOR closing on ALO
PER f/lap 1:27.687
Black and white flag for PER for exceeding track limits too many times … and his fastest lap is deleted
25/57: VER, PIA, ALO, NOR, LEC, OCO, RUS, GAS, PER, ALB, SAR, ZHO, HUL, BOT, STR, MAG, TSU, LAW
NOR f/lap 1:27.
26: PIA, LEC and OCO all pit
Radio from ALO reporting that his seat is burning him!
27: RUS f/lap 1:27.114
ALO pits
PER under investigation for exceeding track limits; if he did, it’ll be a time penalty
Yes, 5sec penalty for PER
28: NOR pits; rejoins P7
The front runners are all on mediums; the rest are currently on hard tyres
PIA around the outside of ALB but the Williams hangs on to P4
Half distance
29: PIA attacks again and this time takes P4
Radio for RUS telling him finishing P4 is possible
30/57: PIA f/lap 1:27.044
NOR easily past ZHO for P6
31: PIA f/lap 1:27.043
Radio for VER telling him to pick up the pace “a bit” – “it needs to be sustainable”
NOR f/lap 1:26.216
32: PER and ALB pit; PER serves his 5sec penalty
ALB rejoins between MAG and TSU; ALB tries to defend P14 but TSU takes it
33: RUS pits from P2; rejoins P5
NOR 1:25.948
Yellow flag – ALO was off across the gravel but rejoins the track
35/57: VER pits; he had a 33sec lead; rejoins still P1 with the gap down to 6.5sec
VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, ZHO, LEC, ALO, BOT, STR, OCO
Incident involving ALO – rejoining unsafely
Radio for SAR telling him to pit & retire; he’s reportedly feeling sick (wants to throw up) but says he wants to continue
36: RUS f/lap 1:25.770
ZHO pits
38: PER under investigation for track limits again – might get another 5sec penalty
39: Theoretically this marks the final mandatory stops (Tyres could now go to the end)
PER gets 5sec penalty
40/57: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, LEC, ALO, OCO, BOT, GAS, STR, PER, MAG, ALB, ZHO, TSU, LAW, HUL, SAR; out: HAM, SAI
Radio for PER telling him of his latest penalty, “This is hurting our race”
BOT, STR, MAG all pit followed by LAW and HUL
Black and white flag for STR for exceeding track limits
41: VER f/lap 1:25.693
Radio from SAR saying he needs to stop; his engineer says it’s his call
SAR pits, retires – even though it’s 9pm in Qatar it’s 31°C air temp and 36°C track
43: STR gets 5sec penalty for track limits
44: PIA pits, followed by LEC, OCO, PER
NOR f/lap 1:25.685
GAS given 5sec penalty … but it shows up 7 times!
45/57: VER f/lap 1:25.475
NOR pits, as do ALO, GAS and ALB
Replay shows SAR struggling to get out of the car – he looks wiped out
46: PIA f/lap 1:25.353
5sec penalty for GAS – is that another one?
Radio for NOR telling him to “hold position”; NOR asks why because he has a big gap over LEC
48: ALB gets 5sec penalty
NOR f/lap 1:24.842
49: NOR continues to push on; will PIA pick up his pace too or will NOR be told to back off?
50/57: VER, RUS, PIA, NOR, LEC, ZHO, ALO, OCO, BOT, STR, GAS, PER, ALB, MAG, TSU, HUL, LAW; out: SAR, HAM, SAI
VER and RUS have to pit again
Replay of RUS taking both hands off the wheel on the main straight, trying to get more air
51: RUS pits; soft tyres for his final few laps; rejoins P4
52: VER pits; bit slow; mediums go on; rejoins still P1 but PIA now just 4sec behind but the McLaren pair are both on medium tyres
53: GAS closes on STR; GAS runs wide but rejoins ahead
ZHO pits; that’s the last one who *has* to pit
Radio for GAS telling him to give the position (P9) back to STR… but PER sneaks past GAS too
55/57: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, LEC, ALO, OCO, BOT, STR, PER, GAS, ZHO, ALB, MAG, TSU, HUL, LAW
STR given 5sec penalty for track limits
56: GAS around PER to take P10 but he was fractionally off track
57/57: VER f/lap 1:24.319
Black and white flag for RUS for exceeding track limits
NOR closing on teammate PIA; he now has DRS but then PIA opens just enough lead to break DRS
GAS gets another 5sec penalty
VER takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: VER, PIA, NOR, RUS, LEC, ALO, OCO, BOT, PER, ZHO, STR, GAS, MAG, ALB, TSU, HUL, LAW … but there are time penalties to be applied, and ALO has to see the stewards
DNF: SAR, HAM, SAI
Fastest lap: VER
PER’s 5sec penalty drops him behind ZHO
The drivers look exhausted
PIA describes it as 57 Quali laps
Even the champagne rose water has run out of fizz 🙂
[2023 calendar and driver line-up]
