F1 Grand Prix Qatar 2023 Report
On the weekend of Oct. 6-8, the Qatar Grand Prix took place at the Losail International Circuit.
Qatar qualifying and sprint shootout
After driving only one free practice session, due to the sprint weekend, qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix got underway on Friday, Oct. 6. Many laps were again taken away by exceeding the track limits. Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez (again) failed to make Q3 and Max Verstappen took pole position by almost half a second. However, there were still some changes in the results, related to exceeding the track limits. This caused Lando Norris to drop from P2 to P10 and Oscar Piastri to drop from P3 to P6. Lewis Hamilton was allowed to start from P3 as a result.
View the full results of Qatar qualifying here
Sprint shootout Qatar
Track limits again played a big role in the sprint shootout in Qatar. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris did not let this get them down for a second and will start from the front row of the grid. Rookie Piastri on P1 and Norris on P2. Verstappen will start from third during the sprint race.
View the full results of the Qatar sprint shootout here
Qatar sprint race
On Saturday, October 7, the Qatar sprint race took place. Rookie Oscar Piastri managed to cash in on his pole position and despite a mediocre start on the medium tire, Max Verstappen fought his way to P2. This position and the retirement of Sergio Perez means he is officially the 2023 World Champion! Lando Norris managed to grab P3. Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc fell outside the points as he received a penalty for exceeding track limits.
View the full results of the Qatar sprint race here
The F1 Grand Prix of Qatar
The F1 Grand Prix of Qatar was a tough one in terms of weather conditions and this was noticeable among the drivers. Several drivers fell ill, such as Esteban Ocon who threw up in his car and Logan Sargeant who was unable to continue halfway through the race. Unfortunately, Carlos Sainz was unable to start the Qatar Grand Prix due to problems with his Ferrari. Max Verstappen took the victory as well as fastest race lap and he was joined on the podium by Oscar Piastri (P2) and Lando Norris (P3). Lewis Hamilton scored his first DNF of the season due to a crash with his teammate George Russell.
View the full results of the Qatar Grand Prix here