Qatar Grand Prix Preview: Verstappen F1 treble crown awaits

Wednesday, 04 October 2023 at 22:00

It would be the surprise of the year if Max Verstappen fails to secure his third Formula 1 world championship title at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend.

The dominant Red Bull ace, who turned 26 last weekend, has two chances to wrap things up on a Sprint Race weekend with points to be scored in races on both Saturday and Sunday at the Lusail circuit.

Verstappen needs only three points, regardless of the results his teammate and sole title rival Sergio Perez achieves. That means a sixth place in the 100km sprint would make him the first champion to secure the title on a Saturday since Nelson Piquet in the 1980s.

In doing so, Max joins not only Piquet senior among the sport's legends but also enters into the exclusive 'club' of triple F1 World Champions, which includes Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and Ayrton Senna.

It will also add another footnote for the sport's statisticians to argue over since he would have won the title with six grands prix to spare but with five full weekends remaining. The chances of Verstappen not scoring three points look, on paper, about as slim as the race being rained off.

Verstappen is chasing his 14th victory in 17 races this year

SUZUKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 24: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates with his team in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on September 24, 2023 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202309240238 // Usage for editorial use only //

And few would bet against Max doing it all over again, after dominating the previous round in Japan and winning a record 10 in a row up to Singapore, and has won two of the three sprints so far.

The Dutch driver has yet to finish lower than fourth in a sprint race since the format was introduced in 2021 and this season has so far amassed 400 points; more even than second-placed Mercedes with two drivers.

The last time he came away from a Grand Prix weekend with less than three points was in Australia in April 2022 when he retired due to a fuel leak - a run of 35 races in the points.

In fact, during this Qatar Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen may not even need to score if Perez, who has not beaten Verstappen in any race since Baku in April, fails to take enough points to stay mathematically in contention. The Mexican is 177 points adrift with 180 still available.

Qatar did not host a race last year due to hosting the soccer World Cup

start 2021 qatar grand prix hamilton verstappen

When the Lusail venue, famed for hosting MotoGP, made its debut on the 2021 COVID-19-affected F1 calendar, in a Middle Eastern triple header with Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton won from pole for Mercedes.

Verstappen still set the fastest lap that day and will not be easing off this Sunday even if he has already clinched the F1 title as he chases even more records.

Red Bull have already secured the 2023 F1 constructors' championship but the teams behind them still have plenty to fight for, with Hamilton also only 33 points adrift of Perez in the drivers' standings.

Mercedes are only 20 points clear of third-placed Ferrari while fifth-placed McLaren are 49 adrift of Aston Martin but hopeful of closing the gap after three podium placings from the last two races.

At the bottom of the team standings, AlphaTauri will have Liam Lawson standing in for injured Daniel Ricciardo for the fifth race in a row.

The circuit has been resurfaced since F1's last visit and the kerbs have also been modified.

The high-speed track is challenging for tyres and the sprint format is an added complication with only one practice session on Friday in the heat of the day for races that will be in cooler night temperatures.

"Everything is in place for an interesting weekend as well as perhaps a few surprises; the ability to adapt quickly and well to the track could deliver a significant advantage," said Pirelli's motorsport head Mario Isola.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin)

Reuters Stats & Facts for the Qatar Grand Prix

Round 17 of the 22-race 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship
Lap distance: 5.419km. Total distance: 308.611km (57 laps)
No race was held in 2022
2021 pole position: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes One minute 20.827 seconds
2021 winner: Hamilton
Race fastest lap: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull 1:23.196
Start time: 1700GMT/2000 local
The circuit has hosted MotoGP since 2004, becoming a night race in 2008.
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The Qatar Grand Prix has a 10-year deal to host Formula One from this year after making a debut in 2021. There was no race in 2022 because of the country hosting the soccer World Cup.
The Lusail layout has been completely resurfaced since 2021, with a new pit and paddock complex, and is fast and flowing with 16 medium and high-speed corners and no heavy braking. The main straight is more than one km long.
Daytime temperatures are expected to be around 40 degrees Celsius but dropping to 27 at night. First practice and the Sprint shootout will be run in daytime.

2023 F1 World Championship after Round 16

2023 f1 drivers championship after japanese gp suzuka

Verstappen leads teammate Sergio Perez by 177 points.
Max Verstappen is set to take his third world championship this weekend, probably in the Saturday sprint. The Dutch driver, who turned 26 last weekend, needs only three points.
Mexican teammate Sergio Perez needs to score six points more than Verstappen in the sprint to keep things open until Sunday.
Verstappen would be the first driver to win a title in a Saturday race since Brazilian Nelson Piquet at the 1983 South African Grand Prix.
Red Bull retained the constructors' championship at the previous race in Japan.

Wins, Pole Position, Fastest Laps & Podiums

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JULY 02: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing (second from right), Second placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari (L), Third placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing (R) and Phil Turner of Red Bull Racing (second from left) celebrate on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 02, 2023 in Spielberg, Qatar Grand Prix Preview: Verstappen F1 treble crown awaits. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Red Bull have won all three sprint races so far this season -- Perez in Azerbaijan and Verstappen in Austria and Belgium.
Verstappen has won 13 of 16 races, his record run of 10 wins in a row ending in Singapore last month.
The Dutch driver has 48 wins from 179 starts and is fifth on the all-time list. Alain Prost, with 51, is fourth.
Red Bull have won 15 of 16 races, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz winning in Singapore. Red Bull have also had a team record six one-two finishes in 2023.
Hamilton has a record 103 victories from 326 starts but has not won since Saudi Arabia in December 2021. Aston Martin's Alonso has 32 wins, most recently in Spain in 2013 with Ferrari, from a record 371 starts.
Hamilton has a record 104 poles.
Red Bull have been on pole 11 times this season. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took the top slot in Azerbaijan and Belgium, Hamilton in Hungary and Sainz in Italy and Singapore. Verstappen has nine poles for 2023.
Six teams and 11 drivers have made a podium appearance this season: Red Bull, Alpine, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
Verstappen has been off the podium only once since Brazil last November.
Verstappen holds the record for most podiums in a season -- 18 in 2021 -- and has had 15 so far in 2023. Michael Schumacher is the only driver to have finished on the podium in every race of a season, in 2002.
Seven different drivers have taken fastest laps this season - Alonso, Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou, Verstappen (7), Perez (2), Hamilton (3), Mercedes's George Russell and McLaren's Oscar Piastri.