The inaugural Qatar Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, 21 November. The race is due to start at 16.40 local time.
Qatar makes its debut at a pivotal time of the season both in terms of the Drivers’ and Constructors’ title.
Lewis Hamilton’s win in Brazil last weekend against the odds helped tilt back the pendulum that had seemed to be going the way of Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Although Verstappen still leads the Championship by 14 points, the momentum is arguably Hamilton after that victory.
The problem for all the teams is the unfamiliar circuit. None of them have driven it before, and few were even aware as to whether the first corner was left or right. They have been hard at work in the simulators this week trying to prepare.
The lap, 5.4 km long, was built in 2003. Since 2004 it has hosted MotoGP events and it is regarded as a fast and flowing track, with high and medium high speed corners.
The main straight is more than 1 km long and going into Turn One is where the main overtaking opportunities are likely to occur.
The outcome of events this weekend may yet be determined by the stewards. Red Bull, unhappy with the way the rear wing of the Mercedes moves, are considering a protest. For their part, Mercedes have asked for a formal review of the decision not to penalise Verstappen for the manoeuvre that forced Hamilton off the track on lap 48 of last week’s race.
Although there are 18 other drivers in the race, in reality this is just a battle between two men. The possibility of the two crashing into each other cannot be discounted. It happened at Silverstone and Monza, and had Hamilton not backed off, it would have occurred again last week.
Prediction:
As this is a new circuit to F1, it is very hard to predict which team it will suit until they actually get out on track. The configuration, in theory, at least, suits the Mercedes more. However, as this season has proved already, there is no guarantee what will happen in the race itself.
What is virtually certain is that, sometime over the race weekend, there will be another flashpoint between Red Bull and Mercedes. F1 fans now expect nothing less.