The first ever Formula 1 race at this Losail circuit venue is as early anticipated as any debuting track has ever been. Clocking in at just over three miles long, Qatar will see 57 laps of action and will act as the first of the three remaining races of the season, taking place in the Middle East.
With the cars, constructors and drivers all experiencing this track for the first time, there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered as we head into the weekend, all of which will be revealed by Sunday evening. With plenty of overtaking opportunities, we will hopefully be in for another thrilling race. As always, let’s speculate.
Lewis to take pole and win the race
Surely still riding the wave of confidence from last week’s victory in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton could very well be even more dominant here. Without several penalties to push him back on the grid, he should surely find it easier to get ahead and then, more importantly stay ahead. The Mercedes Silver Arrow should be extremely quick on this circuit, despite having less ‘straight’ distance than in Sao Paulo. You can expect a tough qualifying, with Max Verstappen pushing the British driver all the way, but ultimately, falling slightly short. With the seven time champion trailing the Dutchman by fourteen points at the time of writing, Hamilton will surely be looking to maximise points potential. Even keeping that extra fastest lap point, in the back of his mind in the final stages.
How will the tyres fair?
Close and personal friend of the company and head of Pirelli Tyres should have an interesting weekend in store. Having lived in Qatar, I can attest that temperatures should be as hot as many would fear. Considering the time of year and time of day, it should be late twenties at a push.
That being said, tyre wear could have a crucial impact on the race result and you cna expect more tyre management that we saw in Brazil previously. Tactically, I would say it will.l be difficult to do a one stop strategy, which could see teams gamble early on race day in the pits, and also look to use a certain compound in Q2 qualifying olthe day before. The hard will be the option for most on the grid to do most of the 300km race distance. As always, a safety car or even VSC, could impact a teams decision of when, or even if, to pit. At a circuit where many are brand new to the track layout, one of these occurring is certainly a possibility.
Similar patterns across the grid from one week to the next?
What I mean by this particular prediction is that the results could near enough mirror the ones we saw last weekend. Red Bull and Mercedes should continue to share the front four spots (mechanical failures not included). Next up should again be the two Ferrari cars, although I expect McLaren to be rather more competitive than we saw last week. Alpine and Alpha Tauri should again be evenly matched in their fight for the lower end of the points positions. Towards the bottom of the grid, Haas will of course be locking out the bottom two yet again, and both Williams and Alfa Romeo should struggle again. Anybody could encounter problems at any time, as is the nature of the sport. Moreover, somebody like Sebastian Vettel could use his experience to finish higher than expected. I wouldn’t expect too much difference in results from last week, when all is said and done.
Final few races for Italian Jesus as Alfa Romeo crucified online.
Antonio Giovinazzi will not line up on the Formula 1 grid for the 2022 campaign after it was announced that he is set to be replaced by the sports firts ever Chinese driver, Guanyu Zhou. The reactory comments ranged from something like “Jesus Robbed” to “Money Talks”, something which Giovinazzi himself subtly hinted in his goodbye post. The surprise came from the fact that GIO has had a relatively strong season and has pushed his Alfa Romeo to its relative limits. Furthermore, he has outdriven veteran teammate Kimi Raikkonen for the most part in 2021. The Finn’s exit, was less of a surprise, but there is chance that the Italian never ends up back in the sport. That would be something of a tragedy.
I wasn’t personally a fan with his original selection but he has proven me wrong multiple times and he has developed and matured as a driver as time has gone on. You felt that, with the announcement he was staying failing to take place at hometown race Monza, that the writing was on the wall for the Italian. We have three more races to enjoy Giovinazzi on our grid. Here’s hoping that he scores some more points before the conclusion of events from Abu Dhabi, and shows Alfa Romeo exactly what they’ll be missing next year.
Will one of the bottom teams attempt to steal fastest lap point as part of an alliance?
With the race tightly poised, and the fastest lap point resting with Valtteri Bottas and therefore also with Mercedes. What is to stop Yuki Tsunoda in 14th from fitting the Soft tyre in an attempt to steal that point away from them, to help his sister team out? Likewise, may George Russell look to help his future employers out if the extra point is going to Verstappen or Perez?
I do not believe that teams would deliberately ruin their own races, nor would drivers especially want to. But if the opportunity arises, it is a scenario that could certainly take place. Especially with both standings being so close between competitors.
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