As we slowly edge towards the end of the 2023 Formula One season, Qatar makes a return to the calendar after an absence in 2022. The return of Qatar also marks the fourth Sprint weekend out of six in the 2023 season, as well as the first opportunity for Red Bull's Max Verstappen to wrap up his third consecutive championship; adding the 26 year old to an elite list where only few have achieved this feat.
Before that can happen, we need a race. However, it's not Verstappen lining up on the front row for the Sprint. Instead those places have been reserved for the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen starts in third. With the Dutch driver only needing to score three points, it's more than likely he can seal the championship here, in the Sprint.
Engines fire up and Piastri leads everyone on their way around the formation lap. Back on the grid, the Williams of Logan Sargeant slots into the 20th and last spot. The five red lights disappear, and they are off.
Piastri leads the field into turn one, but the same can't be said for Norris and Verstappen who find themselves swamped by those who started on the softs. (Piastri, Norris and Verstappen started on the mediums). Further down the field there is dust everywhere as Liam Lawson spins his Alpha Tauri into the gravel, causing a Safety Car within the first few corners. Replays show us that he simply lost control of the car. By lap three, the safety car is in and the race is back on.
Fernando Alonso begins to challenge Norris who has dropped down the field. Both the Aston Martin and McLaren race wheel-to-wheel with the latter keeping his position and Alonso losing out to his former Alpine teammate; Esteban Ocon. Out front, Piastri goes wide, handing the lead over to George Russell in the process. The racing doesn't last for long as another car has found themselves in the gravel. This time it's Sargeant, and the safety car returns to the track one more.
There is worry at Ferrari when Carlos Sainz talks to his team about a "misfire issue." They go on to advise him that they are discussing what to do, despite his worries about losing positions. There is also a surge in team radio activity at McLaren with the team advising Piastri: "we know it will come to the medium." Verstappen and his teammate, Sergio Perez, receive similar advice from Red Bull.
With the safety car in, Piastri finds himself coming under pressure into turn one from soft tyre runner, Sainz. They hold position. Further back, Alonso takes his seventh place back from Ocon, with the second Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, coming under attack from Perez, who finds himself in eleventh. Not where he wants to be. Going into turn two, Perez attempts an overtake, making it stick. Nico Hulkenberg, in the Haas, is his next target.
There is movement towards the front of the field with those on the medium tyre making up ground. Verstappen, who dropped to fifth during the opening lap, gets past Charles Leclerc for fourth, Norris follows him through, dropping Leclerc to sixth. Piastri finally retakes the lead from Russell, who is starting to struggle on the soft. But the yellow flag is out once again, with the duo of Perez and Ocon stuck in the gravel.
With the safety car out for a third time, it seems as if Ocon and Hulkenberg made contact during a battle and Perez was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although Hulkenberg continues around the track, he soon pits and retires due to extensive damage. With Perez also out of the race, Verstappen is all but confirmed as a triple World Champ.
Four laps remain and the safety car returns to the pits once again. At the restart Leclerc takes fifth back from Norris and Lewis Hamilton looses eighth to Gasly. Verstappen, now on a mission to win the race, gets past Russell for second with Piastri now in his sights. Further back, the Leclerc/Norris battle heats up with Norris getting back past the Ferrari. No, make that both Ferraris. He gets past Sainz aswell to take fourth.
Onto the last lap and Hamilton is flying. He makes it back past Gasly, as well as Alonso, Leclerc and Sainz. Verstappen is pushing in second to catch Piastri who still leads. But, there's no luck. The chequered flag is out with Piastri crossing the line to take his first win in Formula One. Verstappen finishes second and is confirmed as the 2023 World Drivers Champion, making it three in a row for the Dutchman. Norris, Russell, Hamilton, Sainz, Alexander Albon and Alonso make up the final point positions. Leclerc, who finished 7th, receives a five second penalty for track limits, dropping him out of the points completely.
Sunday. Race day. But, with a twist. Due to health and safety concerns surrounding the Pirelli tyres, it will now be a mandatory three stop race, with tyres not allowed to exceed a lifespan over eighteen laps. If teams ignore the regulation, it will be instant disqualification.
With the drivers lining up on the grid, Verstappen on pole, there is an evident gap in the midfield. Unfortunately for Sainz he won't be starting the race due to a mechanical failure. Perez, who qualified in a dismal thirteenth, will be starting from the pitlane after his clash with Ocon and Hulkenberg in the Sprint. Tyre blankets are removed and it's quickly noted that the mediums seem to be favourable starting tyre. However, during the formation lap, Hamilton, who is starting on softs, seems to be concerned with the choices made. "I'm a sitting duck to all these guys," he tells the Mercedes team. At the front of the field, Verstappen leads everyone to their grid boxes. The race is a go.
Verstappen gets a decent enough start but he has both Mercedes right on his tail. But, it's not for long. Going into the first corner, both Hamilton and Russell make contact, sending Hamilton spinning into the gravel. *Spain 2016 flashbacks.* The safety car is quickly deployed. Russell, who seemed to have gotten away with major damage, is limping back to the pits. He receives a new front wing and a fresh set of rubber.
In the midst of the Mercedes carnage, Piastri has climbed from sixth to second. Alonso is in third. The stewards make a decision to investigate the Mercedes incident after the race. But, replays show us that Hamilton squeezed Russell, the latter with no where to go. Russell tells his team; "so sorry guys. I wasn't even looking, I was just focused ahead and he just came from nowhere." Also being investigated is Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas for a starting in the wrong position. He should have started in the grid box behind the empty one of Sainz. Did he go one grid box too far?
There is activity in the pits with several drivers at the back of the field making their first stop. Zhou Guanyu, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson and Kevin Magnussen change their tyres and head back onto the track just as the safety car period is ending. Verstappen gets a good restart, sprinting clear from second place man, Piastri. However, at the back of the field, Russell comes close to a clash with Perez as he tries to find a way past the Red Bull driver. But, going into turns four and five, he makes the move stick, moving into thirteenth, as he recovers from his earlier clash with Hamilton. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg is slapped with a ten second penalty for starting in the wrong position.
Piastri, clear from any DRS threat from Alonso, sets the new fastest lap of the race. This is quickly beaten by Verstappen. More pitstops start to take place with visits for Yuki Tsunoda, Ocon, Alonso, Gasly, Piastri and Leclerc. Lawson is the first driver to be shown the black and white flag for track limits.
Despite finding himself at the back of the field a few laps back, Russell now runs in second place, thanks to everyone's pitstops. However, he decides that it's time for a second stop, plunging him back down the order. Verstappen, still leading, is yet to pit. As we close in on lap eighteen, he will need to do it sooner rather than later. He sets another fastest lap of the race on lap sixteen before diving in the pits on his next tour around. This leads Albon out front - a Williams leading the race. He then pits on lap eighteen, giving the lead back to Verstappen who leads over seven seconds from Piastri.
Another track limit warning, but this time for Albon. One more and it will be a penalty. And, it's not just Albon, Perez, who is trying to save his weekend, also gets shown the black and white flag, before being handed a five second penalty. Not what he wanted, or needed. Piastri comes into the pits for his next stop. Ocon and Leclerc also come in, fitting the hard tyres. Alonso is on to his team, complaining of a hot seat. He requests that the team throw water into his cockpit at his next stop. He comes in almost immediately. But, instead of receiving cold water, he gets a fresh set of tyres.
With pitstops in full swing, Norris also comes in. He's been battling Alonso on-track for some time. The undercut works. He comes out behind Zhou, but ahead of his main challenger. With the help of DRS, Norris is quickly past Zhou. Further down the field, there is another black and white flag. The Alpine of Gasly is the unlucky recipient of this one. To make matters worse, he has also reported problems with his car, telling his team that he "cannot fight." Perez, currently running in third, pits for new tyres. His serves his five second penalty, gets fitted with used mediums, and returns to the track in twelfth. Russell also comes in for a third time, but with over eighteen laps until the chequered flag, he'll need to pit for a fourth time.
A relatively quiet race, in terms of incidents, a yellow flag makes a sudden appearance at turn two. It's for Alonso who takes a bumpy trip through the gravel. He looses a place to Russell and slots back in ahead, but dangerously close, to Leclerc. He gets noted for rejoining unsafely. There are also problems at Williams. "I'm not feeling well at all," Sargeant informs his team. They give the American the option to retire. However, he chooses to carry on.
With eighteen laps left to run, the final pitstop window is fast approaching. Verstappen still leads ahead of the McLarens of Piastri and Norris. Perez receives a second five second penalty for more track limit violations. His race engineer frustratingly tells him; "that's another five second penalty for track limits. This is hurting our race." Stroll and Gasly are next to get a penalty.
Sargeant is back on the radio, telling his team; "I don't feel well man. I need to stop." He returns to the pits and is wheeled back into the garage. At the front, however, the battle is heating up between the McLarens. Piastri pits from second, returning to the track in fourth. Norris pits a lap later and comes out alongside his teammate. He has to back off into turn one, letting Piastri take the position. Gasly's day is going from bad to worse. He gets another five second penalty. That's ten seconds that he will need to take at this next stop. Perez, who is also having a nightmare, is lapped by his teammate.
McLaren make the decision to hold position until the end of the race, infuriating Norris who believes he is quicker. He proves this by setting the new fastest lap. Six laps to go and Russell pits for one last time. He throws on the softs and comes out in fourth. Verstappen is also in, and with a slow stop. He is so far ahead of the McLarens, he maintains his lead comfortably.
There is a battle ongoing between Stroll and Gasly for the final point. Gasly makes a move on Stroll, going off the track in the process. He does not concede the place. Perez also joins in on the battle, but as Gasly attempts to give Stroll the place back, Perez takes advantage, squeezing past the Alpine also. But, despite getting his place back, it's bad news for Stroll who receives his second five second penalty. Perez has dropped back, only slightly, from Stroll into the clutches of Gasly. De ja vu, Gasly passes off the track again, refusing to hand the place back, earning himself another track limit penalty.
But at the front it's Verstappen putting in the fastest laps. He crosses the finish line and wins the Qatar Grand Prix. A nearly perfect weekend for the newly crowned three time World Champion. The McLarens of Piastri and Norris hold on to finish second and third, respectively. Russell, despite his first lap incident, is fourth with Leclerc and Alonso in fifth and sixth. Ocon, Bottas, Zhou and Perez - who received ANOTHER five second penalty, round out the points.
What an entertaining and interesting race. It's just a shame that a lot of the hard work the drivers put in was rewarded with heat exhaustion and dehydration - with several making visits to the medical centre. All have since been cleared.
So, what is your opinion on the mandatory pitstops for that race? Did you enjoy it, or would you rather see more different strategies playing out? Let me know!
Next up - Austin! Yee-haw!
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