© Getty ImagesThe Highs and Lows Of QatarA look back at some of the good – and not so good – times from the Team in Qatar
TheQatarGrandPrixisarelativelynewcircuitontheFormula1calendar.Itwasfirstusedin2021whenittooktheplaceofthecancelledAustralianGrandPrixduetotheCOVID-19pandemic.Thenin2022therewasnoGrandPrixasthecountrywashostingtheFIFAWorldCupthatyear,butin2023itreturnedandwasgivena10-yearcontract!
The Lusail International Circuit was originally built for MotoGP and had motorcycles in mind for the design, but it’s a fantastic track with sweeping turns and a long straights making it great for Formula One as well. With that in mind, lets look back at how the Bulls have fared at the Qatar Grand Prix…
2021 saw an epic season-long battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The pair were attacking each other throughout the season. Going into the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix Max was leading the Championship by just 14 points with only three races remaining.
The race was going to be Lewis’, but Max didn’t make it easy for him. The Bull was on his tail for the entire race, as the pair built a gap from the rest of the pack. On lap 55 of 57, Max entered the pits for some fresh rubber to try and steal away the fastest lap point from Hamilton. He retained his track position in P2 after the pitstop, and on the final lap blazed the sectors and took that all important point – which also stopped Hamilton from completing the Grand Slam in Qatar.
Returning to Qatar for the Sprint weekend in 2023, the Team were coming off the back-end of securing its sixth Constructors Title at the previous round in Japan, but the Drivers Title was still up for grabs. For Max to secure his third title, it meant he had to outscore teammate Sergio Pérez by three points.
The Dutchman didn’t have to wait long though as there were points up for grabs on the Saturday. Max started the Sprint in P3 but dropped to fifth as he lost ground on his medium tyres surrounded by those around on the faster soft compound. But the Champion bided his time, carefully navigated three Safety Cars in the short 19-lap race and then, when tyre degradation began to slow rivals ahead, he powered through to second place and claim his third Drivers’ Title on a Saturday!
As the only contender to Max’s crown in 2023, Checo was on the charge in the Sprint Race, he’d dropped down the order but was working his way through the field. On lap 11 of 19, he and Nico Hulkenberg were side-by-side down the main straight and caught up to Esteban Ocon in the Alpine ahead. Going three abreast into turn 2 ended badly for all three, as Checo and Ocon sandwiched the Haas of Hulkenberg, sending Checo and Ocon into the gravel and out of the race. The incident also brought Checo’s hopes of becoming 2023 World Champion to an abrupt end.
The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix saw a unique scenario where Pirelli announced that the combination of the tyre compounds supplied that weekend and the resurfaced track conditions, the tyre life was significantly shorter, meaning each driver would require a minimum of three mandatory pitstops.
With that many pitstops happening across the length of the Grand Prix, you’d think there would be a few different people leading the race. But Max Verstappen somehow managed to cross the timing line ahead of everyone else for every single lap of the race. The well controlled race despite gruelling hot conditions, saw him take his fourth Grand Slam of his career as he claimed pole position, fastest lap and the overall race win as well!
The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix was gruelling with George Russell reporting he’d been sick in the car and Logan Sargeant having to be lifted out of his Williams after the race. However, that didn’t bother Checo. He started the race from the pitlane, took three-time penalties for track limits and was still able to battle his way from the back of the grid, up to P10 and claim a point for the Team and his chance to secure P2 in the drivers’ standings!
With just one practice session this weekend, you can expect the Bulls to be on track as soon as the pitlane light turns green at 07:30 track time (02:00UTC). Make sure you head over to our Race Hub the close of play each day for exclusive reports, pictures, videos and interviews.
