F1’s visit to Qatar is the final sprint of 2024, with a championship very much in the balance.
F1 heads into the final Sprint weekend of the 2024 season
The Qatar Grand Prix weekend marks the penultimate weekend of F1’s longest-ever season in 2024.
It’s a quick turnaround for all 20 drivers and 10 teams, from the starry nights of Vegas to the 2024 Qatar GP. Set in the dunes of Lusail, the 2024 Qatar GP features yet more action across the weekend.
This will also be the final Sprint event of 2024.
Max Verstappen sealed his fourth world championship in the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. However, heading into the 2024 Qatar GP weekend, the Constructors’ championship is certainly up for grabs.
A three-way fight between McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull beckons, heading into the final two weekends of the year.
Elsewhere, further battles rage on in the lower half of the standings. Three teams enter the weekend scrapping over sixth place: Haas, Alpine, and VCARB. With these battles usually raging in the lower half of the points, every point is worth even more in this scrap.
The battles will be even closer all weekend. Furthermore, being a Sprint weekend, teams have only one practice session to finetune their setups. This only adds to the unpredictability of the weekend’s proceedings.
The Lusail International Circuit is no easier on drivers either. Featuring plenty of fast corners, the weekend will be a test for drivers and their endurance skills.
The challenge is also made harder by the cooler temperatures at this time of the year. This would make for an entirely different challenge to last year’s outing when drivers faced overheating and tyre degradation due to the intense heat.
With the championship battle at stake, and even more points up for grabs, this is a weekend you absolutely do not want to miss.
The Constructors’ battle heats up even more – Can McLaren hold on in Qatar?
With Max Verstappen proving class of the field to seal a fourth world championship in Vegas, the focus now shifts to the Constructors’ battle.
McLaren’s mid-season resurgence saw them soar to the top of the standings after Oscar Piastri’s win in Baku. A 13-race podium streak was halted when F1 returned in Austin after the fall break.
The trio of championship contenders were unable to challenge the two Mercedes all weekend in Las Vegas, instead forced to limit the damage.
Red Bull faced troubles with their straight-line speed, due to a wrong specification of rear wing. The streets of Vegas didn’t play to the strengths of the McLarens, restricting them to sixth and seventh.
It was Ferrari who managed to salvage their Las Vegas weekend the best, finishing third and fourth. They had their fair share of concerns, though. The Ferrari’s tyres grained and degraded too quickly.
The bigger talking point was the tension between both drivers after Sainz overtook Leclerc despite the team reassuring the Monegasque he wouldn’t be passed.
Yet, they cut the gap to McLaren at the head of the standings from 36 to 24 points.
Red Bull sit third, 53 points off standings leaders McLaren. The reigning champions will require Sergio Perez to contribute bigger points alongside Verstappen, to stay in the hunt.
On the other hand, Ferrari will be banking on improved tyre wear this year to combat the McLaren and Red Bull challenge. McLaren would take confidence from being quick around this configuration last year.
McLaren can seal the Constructors title in Qatar if they outscore Ferrari by 21 points, and do not drop more than 14 points to Red Bull. However, this looks like a stretch considering the close gaps between all three teams this year.
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Battles lower down heat up even more into the Qatar round
While a three-way battle takes centre stage up top, another one is brewing in the lower half of the standings.
Alpine entered Las Vegas in sixth, sitting three points ahead of Haas and five ahead of VCARB. The French manufacturer continued their momentum into qualifying, with Pierre Gasly starting a stellar third for the main race.
However, Alpine’s race came apart at the seams on Saturday night. Gasly retired after his engine blew out on Lap 15, while Ocon encountered an extra trip to the pits, with his mechanics not ready as the Alpine driver drove into the pitlane. This crippled Ocon’s race, leaving him down in P17.
It was Haas who capitalised the most from Alpine’s mishaps, with Hulkenberg finishing eighth. Yuki Tsunoda meanwhile ensured VCARB grabbed two valuable points, as he held on to ninth.
The result meant Haas leapfrogged Alpine in the standings, sitting one point ahead. VCARB moved up to 46 points, only four adrift of Haas, and three behind Alpine.
All three teams will be looking to make the most of any trouble from those in the top four teams.
Haas have often been on hand to seize opportunities, with Hulkenberg and Magnussen finishing in the points in six of the last seven weekends. VCARB held sixth for most of the season, benefitting from Tsunoda’s form early in the season.
Alpine have continually looked to upgrade their machine after a poor start and capitalise on opportunities available to them. This approach has helped them net the odd point or two on multiple occasions, and paid off big time for them in Sao Paulo.
This sets up an interesting narrative heading into the final two weekends of the year.
The battle is even bigger for teams lower down, with every position worth millions in prize money.
F1’s final Sprint weekend around a testing Qatar circuit
The Qatari desert has proven to be a test of drivers’ endurance in the past. With the extreme heat being a factor in 2023, it forced drivers to even pull over due to illnesses.
Just ask Logan Sargeant, who retired midway into the race due to a heat stroke and dehydration.
Lance Stroll and Alex Albon visited the medical centre after the race due to the effects of heatstroke, and several drivers called the race the most demanding of their careers.
The venue was also extremely demanding on tyres. The Pirelli tyres experienced extreme wear during free practice and qualifying from striking the demanding kerbs, forcing the FIA to mandate 18-lap tyre stints for the race.
In response to tyre dramas in 2023, the FIA has added gravel strips at the edge of seven of the 16 corners. This is to dissuade drivers from going off track and taking liberties with track limits. The flatter surfaces mean drivers can attack the kerbs with lesser consequences of tyre blowouts or punctures.
Despite lower temperatures in 2024, tyre wear will still be an important factor. The circuit’s sweeping corners certainly pose a harsh challenge. The biggest overtaking spot is turn one, a long-radius right-hander.
Unorthodox overtaking spots include turn four, or the slower left-hander of turn six. This corner was notable for Russell’s overtake on Oscar Piastri for the Sprint lead last year.
The mix of medium and high-speed corners comprising this circuit will pose a stern test to drivers’ necks all weekend. The most testing of these sections is the sequence of corners from turns 12 to 15, a continuous sequence of flat-out, high-speed corners drivers take at full throttle.
All in all, this weekend could be the sternest test the drivers face all season.
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Weekend Schedule
Friday, 29th November, 2024
Free Practice 1: 16:00 – 17:00 local time (13:00 – 14:00 GMT)
Sprint Qualifying: 20:30 – 21:14 local time (17:30 – 18:14 GMT)
Saturday, 30th November, 2024
Sprint Race (19 laps): 17:00 – 18:00 local time (14:00 – 15:00 GMT)
Qualifying: 21:00 – 22:00 local time (18:00 – 19:00 GMT)
Sunday, December 1st, 2024
Main Race (57 laps): 19:00 – 21:00 local time (16:00 GMT – 18:00 GMT)
Weather for the 2024 Qatar GP
The weather for the 2024 Qatar GP is expected to be dry and mild. In contrast to 2023, temperatures are set to be in the low 20s all weekend.
Friday: Max – 23*C, Min: 15*C
Saturday: Max – 23*C, Min: 17*C
Sunday: Max – 24*C, Min: 17*C
The chance of rain is zero for Saturday and Sunday’s running. On Friday, there is less than a 20% chance of rain affecting running on track.
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