The Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit will almost certainly be the lowest-attended round of the season – but that does not meant those who have bought tickets are any less invested, knowledgeable or passionate as those who have shown up to any of the previous 22 rounds so far this season.
When most of the few thousands who will be there at Losail today went to sleep last night, they did so looking forward to seeing Max Verstappen lead the field away from pole position and George Russell alongside him on the front row.
This morning, however, they would have woken up to find the front row occupants have swapped places.
Despite the drivers’ championship, the primary point of intrigue for any F1 season, being done and dusted, Formula 1 has still managed to court controversy with the latest stewarding scandal involving Max Verstappen. Penalised for driving unnecessarily slowly on his final build up lap in Q3 and getting in the way of Russell’s Mercedes – who was also on a build up lap – Verstappen has lost his first pole position since Austria and must now line up behind Russell rather than in front of him.
Although this seems like a blow to Verstappen’s chances of victory, the world champion is driven as much by the need to spite those he perceives as trying to hold him down as much as he is by victory. And compared to other grid penalties he has overcome in recent years to win, a single place is nothing.
But it would be wrong to assume that it’s all going to be about Verstappen versus Russell for victory. There has been no consistent order at the front of the field over the first two days of the weekend, and newly-inherited pole sitter Russell expects the same today.
“I think it’s going to be a really close fight between all four teams,” Russell said after qualifying. “Ferrari looked on the same pace as Lando [Norris and myself] this morning. So I hope it’s going to be a good one, but the tyres seem pretty resilient. Maybe we’ll see another DRS train, I don’t know.”
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Although the volume of fans watching will be relatively modest, they may well be in for a fascinating evening of racing.
Weather
As has been made abundantly clear this weekend, the oppressive heat and humidity drivers had to endure in last year’s Qatar Grand Prix will not be a concern this evening.
Just like Friday and Saturday, conditions will be similarly mild with ambient…
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