With just two race weekends left, the disqualification in Vegas of the top two contenders in the Drivers’ Championship has arranged a close finish. The points now stand at: NOR=390, PIA=366, VER=366.
Qatar is the last of the sprint format weekends, and it’s started with a very unusual announcement regarding the “maximum number of laps permitted for all sessions on each single set including all tyres history”:
For the Sprint session and the Race, all laps started after the start signal and before the end-of-session signal will be counted in the maximum number of laps permitted. For the avoidance of doubt this means that reconnaissance lap(s), formation laps prior to the start signal and laps after the end-of-session signal will not be counted. All laps started during any other session will be counted in the maximum number of laps permitted. Any lap started but not completed will be counted as a full lap. For a mixed set, the number of laps for the set will be defined by the tyre of the set with highest number of laps accumulated. For the sake of clarity, a document with the remaining laps available for each set will be distributed to the teams before the Race.
OK, so what Pirelli are saying is the tyres they supply cannot be used for more than 25 laps, which means everyone will need to make a minimum of two pit stops in the race. The sprint race is only 19 laps but if they’ve used the same tyres in sprint quali then they could be forced to pit, so I don’t expect anyone will do that.
Free Practice
- FP1: PIA (1:20.924), NOR, ALO, SAI, HAD
NOR ran through a gravel trap, and went wide through Turn 10
PIA also ran wide in T10
VER cut Turn 7 and complained about the steering wheel
A few other drivers also cut through the gravel traps
Sprint Qualifying
Sprint Qualifying session 1 (SQ1)
ALO 1:21.276
VER 1:21.172
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are BEA, ANT, GAS, HAM, COL
HAM P15, OCO P16
GAS P18
ANT P6, HAM P16
OCO P12, HAD P16
BEA P7, ALB P16
HAD P5, LAW P16
COL P20
ALB P14, STR P16
Back of the grid: STR, LAW, HAM, GAS, COL
Sprint Qualifying session 2
NOR 1:20.956
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are HUL, BEA, OCO, ALB, BOR
HUL P11
OCO P12
ALB P7, ANT P11
BOR P12
BEA P12
ANT P11
HAD’s lap time is deleted, dropping him to P11
Middle of the grid: HAD, BEA, BOR, HUL, OCO
Qualifying session 3
ANT 1:20.903
RUS 1:20.528
VER angry about the car and then runs wide
PIA 1:20.241
Order after the first run: PIA, NOR, RUS, LEC, ALB, SAI, ALO, ANT, TSU, VER
VER P4
TSU P3
ANT P6
ALO P3
SAI P8
LEC P9
RUS 1:29.087
PIA 1:20.055
NOR P3 – he ran wide in the final turn
Front of the grid: PIA, RUS, NOR, ALO, TSU, VER, ANT, SAI, LEC, ALB
Provisional grid: PIA, RUS, NOR, ALO, TSU, VER, ANT, SAI, LEC, ALB, HAD, BEA, BOR, HUL, OCO, STR, LAW, HAM, GAS, COL
Penalties
HUL was summoned by the stewards but not penalised
Changes made to four cars while under parc ferme means STR, HAM, GAS, and COL will all start from the pit lane
Sprint Race
Grid: PIA, RUS, NOR, ALO, TSU, VER, ANT, SAI, LEC, ALB, HAD, BEA, BOR, HUL, OCO, LAW; STR, HAM, GAS, COL will start from pit lane
PIA leads everyone away on the formation lap
Long wait for the grid to form up
01/19: PIA leads into Turn 1
TSU lets VER take P4
LEC ran wide; drops to P13
02: PIA has opened a 1.2sec gap to RUS already
DRS enabled
03: PIA, RUS, NOR, VER, TSU, ALO, ANT, SAI, HAD, ALB
VER has DRS to help close on NOR
04: NOR now has DRS too
VER complaining “Bouncing is still very bad”
05/19: PIA, RUS, NOR, VER, TSU, ALO, ANT, SAI, HAD, ALB, BOR, BEA, LEC, LAW, OCO, HUL, STR, HAM, GAS, COL
08: Large piece of bodywork flying off SAI’s Williams
10/19: PIA, RUS, NOR, VER, TSU, ALO, ANT, SAI, HAD, ALB
LEC has a look at BEA but he’s not close enough
11: Radio from RUS reporting tyre degredation on other cars
Black and white flag for TSU for repeatedly exceeding track limits – once more and he’ll get a penalty
COL gets the same flag warning
LAW runs wide and takes P13 from LEC
12: LAW lets LEC reclaim P13
13: ALO runs wide, letting ANT take P6
5-sec penalty for TSU for exceeding track limits – that effectively drops him just ahead of ALO
14: STR pits; softs go on
15/19: PIA, RUS, NOR, VER, TSU*, ANT, ALO, SAI, HAD, ALB, BOR, BEA, LEC, LAW, OCO, HUL, HAM, GAS, COL, STR
17: Black and white flag for ANT
18: BEA runs wide, through a gravel trap; recovers
GAS and COL both pit
19/19: Radio for NOR warning him not to run off track
PIA takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: PIA, RUS, NOR, VER, TSU*, ANT, ALO, SAI, HAD, ALB, BOR, BEA, LEC, LAW, OCO, HUL, HAM, GAS, STR, COL
*TSU’S 5-sec penalty drops him to P6
Penalties
ANT’s given a 5-sec penalty for exceeding track limits, so he and TSU swap positions again – TSU P5, ANT P6
Points update: NOR=396, PIA=374, VER=371
Qualifying
Air temperature 21°C; track 26°C; humidity 75%
Qualifying session 1 (Q1)
SAI 1:22.354
BOR 1:21.945
BEA 1:21.644
HAD 1:21.406
ALO 1:20.980
RUS 1:20.907
PIA 1:20.739
COL runs wide, through a gravel trap, throwing stones onto the track
Pit lane incident involving ALB will be investigated after the session
A few lap times have been deleted
HAD 1:20.603
VER 1:20.534
NOR 1:20.157
Radio from VER still complaining about his car
5mins left; bottom 5 are TSU, BEA, OCO, STR, COL
Both Ferraris seem to be running quite low – lots of sparks
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are HAM, BOR, OCO, STR, COL
STR P18
COL P19
OCO P16
BOR P14, TSU P16
RUS 1:20.074 even though he reported a problem with the steering wheel
Back of the grid: TSU, OCO, HAM, STR, COL
Qualifying session 2
BEA 1:20.438
VER 1:20.142
PIA 1:19.650
NOR P3… but then his lap time is deleted
5mins left; bottom 5 are LAW, ALB, BOR, LEC, NOR
LEC fighting his Ferrari as it tries to put the tail out
Radio from RUS asking for a clear visor for Q3 because it’s so dusty
NOR goes P2, relegating ANT to P11
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are ANT, LAW, ALB, BOR, LEC
ANT P4, BEA P11
LEC P9, HUL P11
LAW P12
HUL P11
BOR P14
Middle of the grid: HUL, LAW, BEA, BOR*, ALB
*BOR has a 5-place penalty to serve in Qatar for causing the collision with STR in Vegas
Top 10 shootout is between PIA, NOR, VER, ANT, RUS, ALO, SAI, GAS, LEC, HAD
Qualifying session 3
SAI has left the garage with some plastic wrapping still attached to his tyre – that’ll be a penalty for unsafe release
NOR 1:19.495
HAD P2
PIA P2
GAS P4
SAI P5
VER P3
RUS P3
ANT P6
ALO P7
LEC has a big spin and abandons the lap
Order after the first run: NOR, PIA, RUS, VER, HAD, ANT, ALO, SAI, GAS, LEC
Brief red flag to clear the track
Q3 resumes with just over 5mins left but everyone remains in their garage
Looks like NOR abandoned his lap
LEC P8
Chequered flag; order is NOR, PIA, RUS, VER, HAD, ANT, ALO, LEC, SAI, GAS
NOR didn’t cross the line to start a flying lap
PIA 1:19.387
GAS P8
VER P3
ANT P5
SAI P7
RUS P4
Front of the grid: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, ANT, HAD, SAI, ALO, GAS, LEC
Provisional grid: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, ANT, HAD, SAI, ALO, GAS, LEC, HUL, LAW, BEA, BOR*, ALB, TSU, OCO, HAM, STR, COL
*BOR has a 5-place penalty from the Vegas GP
Penalties
Williams were fined €5,000 for the unsafe release of SAI
ALB was not penalised for impeding OCO
COL will start from the pit lane because his “setup of the car has been changed while under Parc Ferme”
Race
Pit lane is open; drivers can make their way to the grid
Grid: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, ANT, HAD, SAI, ALO, GAS, LEC, HUL, LAW, BEA, ALB, TSU, OCO, HAM, STR, BOR; COL starting from the pit lane
Air temperature 23°C; track 29°C; humidity 67%
PIA leads everyone away on the formation lap
Everyone on new tyres; top 10 on medium compound; HUL and HAM on softs; ALB and COL on hards; rest on mediums
Remember that they’re not allowed to exceed 25 laps on any set of tyres, so expect at least two pit stops per car
Long wait for the grid to form up, and COL trundles down the pit lane
01/57: VER around NOR to take P2 before Turn 1
RUS has dropped to P7, behind ANT, SAI and ALO
02: PIA, VER, NOR, ANT, SAI, ALO, RUS, HAD, GAS, LEC, HUL, BEA, LAW, HAM, OCO, TSU, ALB, STR, BOR, COL
HUL past LEC for P10
DRS enabled
03: HUL closing on GAS, making the most of his soft tyres
GAS defends but runs a little wide
TSU exceeding track limits; he got a 5-sec penalty in the sprint race
04: PIA already 2sec clear of VER
05/57: PIA, VER, NOR, ANT, SAI, ALO, RUS, HAD, GAS, HUL, LEC, BEA, LAW, HAM, OCO, TSU, ALB, STR, BOR, COL
Replay of GAS rejoining very close to HUL
Radio from VER reporting an “extreme balance shift”
07: OCO noted for moving before the signal, i.e. jump start
Safety Car deployed – HUL is off at Turn 2
GAS has a puncture and is kicking up a lot of sparks
There’s some debris on the track from HUL hitting a foam brake board, so the SC will probably be out for a couple of laps
08[SC]: VER pits from P2; new mediums go on
Almost everyone pits; only PIA, NOR and OCO don’t stop
OCO gets 5-sec penalty for the false start
Replay of GAS and HUL colliding; looks like a racing incident to me
McLaren point out that the other teams have lost any flexibility – they’ll all have to stop on lap 32 (that’ll be a very busy pit lane!), whereas PIA and NOR can stop anytime up to lap 25 (and presumably a short stint on softs at the end?) … assuming there’s not another SC
09[SC]: OCO pits
Surely McLaren will pit one car next lap and the other the following lap, although the rest of the pack has caught up so they’re not going to get a “cheap” pit stop
10/57[SC]: PIA, NOR, VER, SAI, ANT, ALO, HAD, RUS, LEC, BEA, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, STR, COL, GAS, OCO; out: HUL
OCO pits, serves his 5-sec penalty
SC ending this lap
NOR is reminded to stay close to PIA
PIA sets off early, opening a small gap to NOR
11: PIA opening a 1sec gap over NOR, who in turn is nearly 2sec clear of VER
12: DRS enabled
OCO noted for not serving his penalty correctly… no further investigation
14: PIA continues to extend his lead; almost 2sec clear of his teammate
15/57: PIA, NOR, VER, SAI, ANT, ALO, HAD, RUS, LEC, BEA, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, STR, COL, OCO, GAS
Everyone on mediums except GAS on hards – that means they’ll all be on hards for the final stint, so GAS might make up places when he’s on mediums
16: STR, BOR and ALB have been noted for yellow flag infringements
19: No further investigation for STR, BOR or ALB
20/57: PIA, NOR, VER, SAI, ANT, ALO, HAD, RUS, LEC, BEA
21: Black and white flag for ALB for exceeding track limits
Radio from PIA reporting his “front left is struggling a bit” – will McLaren pit him first?
23: PIA is 3.8sec ahead of NOR, and NOR is 4sec clear of VER
ALO is 7.5sec behind ANT, but the Aston Martin is holding up a lot of others
24: Radio for PIA, “box, box”
25/57: NOR pits; new mediums go on; rejoins P5, ahead of ALO
STR pits; rejoins P19
26: NOR pits; new mediums; P5, right in front of ALO
27: STR given 5-sec penalty for speeding in the pit lane
28: PIA is lapping 1.5sec/lap faster than ANT so he should catch the Mercedes in a couple of laps
ALO seems to be picking up his pace, opening a gap over HAD ahead of their pit stop
30/57: VER, SAI, ANT, PIA, NOR, ALO, HAD, RUS, LEC, BEA, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, OCO, GAS, STR* (*STR has 5sec penalty to serve)
PIA dives inside ANT and takes P3
31: NOR has been warned by his engineer that he’s exceeding track limits in Turn 10
32: NOR has a look but ANT defends into Turn 1
OK, it’s going to get busy in the pit lane in a minute…
33: VER pits; hards go on; rejoins P3
Everyone else (except STR) pits
Was RUS released into the path of LAW?
34: PIA, NOR, VER, SAI, ANT, OCO, ALO, HAD, RUS, LEC, STR*, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, BEA, GAS
Mostly put on hard tyres; OCO, ALB, HAM, COL, GAS on mediums; BOR on softs
BEA noted for an unsafe release
35/57: OCO pits; hards; P17
36: Replay shows BEA ran over something and stopped immediately; the team put him back on a jack, removed it and he set off (Update: rear-left wheel wasn’t attached)
37: Radio from NOR asking they check the car because he ran off; replay shows the car had a nasty snap in Turn 14
38: Radio for NOR reporting they’re seeing high temps (He could back off as long as he finishes in the top 3)
39: VER is closing slightly on NOR
40/57: PIA, NOR, VER, SAI, ANT, ALO, HAD, RUS, LEC, STR*, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, OCO, BEA, GAS; out: HUL
BEA given 10sec stop/go penalty for unsafe release
41: Radio from PIA suggesting they “box now and try to chase him down”
42: VER almost in DRS range of NOR
43: PIA pits; new hards go on; 1.8sec stop – that’s quick; rejoins P3
BEA pits; serves his penalty; retires
44: NOR stays out – that seems like a mistake
45/57: NOR pits; new hards; 2.7sec stop, so almost a second slower that PIA’s stop; rejoins P5
Black and white flag for RUS for exceeding track limits
Replay of ALO losing the rear and spinning
46: PIA is 15sec behind VER
NOR has another snap; is he pushing the McLaren too hard?
47: NOR is 3sec behind ANT but almost 1sec/lap faster than the Mercedes
48: PIA is 0.5sec/lap quicker than VER but is VER managing his tyres until PIA gets a lot closer?
49: Only 8 laps left, so PIA won’t catch VER but NOR could get back up to P3
50/57: VER, PIA, SAI, ANT, NOR, HAD, RUS, ALO, LEC, STR*, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, OCO, GAS; out: BEA, HUL
STR pits; serves his penalty; rejoins P18
51: Radio from SAI, “I have understeer in right-hand corners”
52: NOR has DRS to close on ANT but not enough to attack yet
53: PIA is still over 12sec behind VER
54: ANT closing on SAI; once ANT gets DRS, it’ll make NOR’s job even harder
55/57: VER, PIA, SAI, ANT, NOR, HAD, RUS, ALO, LEC, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, OCO, STR, GAS
HAD has a puncture; he’s limping back to the pits
56: ANT runs wide; NOR takes P4
HAD still hasn’t reached the pits
57/57: NOR isn’t close enough to challenge SAI for P3
Pathetic radio message for VER accusing ANT of pulling over and letting NOR through
VER takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: VER, PIA, SAI, NOR, ANT, RUS, ALO, LEC, LAW, TSU, ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, OCO, GAS, STR, HAD
DNF: BEA, HUL
Radio for PIA congratulating him on P2; PIA says “I have no words” because the McLaren strategy hurt both their drivers
Penalties
OCO, STR and BEA all received penalties during the race; no post-race penalties announced.
Final Classification: VER, PIA, SAI, NOR, ANT, RUS, ALO, LEC, LAW, TSU; ALB, HAM, BOR, COL, OCO, GAS, STR, HAD
DNF: BEA, HUL
Drivers’ Championship points: NOR=408, VER=396, PIA=392 with just one race left to go.
[2025 calendar and driver line-up]
2 thoughts on “Qatar Grand Prix”