2023 Qatar Grand Prix

The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2023) was a Formula One motor race held on 8 October 2023 at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar. It was the seventeenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship and the fourth Grand Prix weekend of the season to utilise the sprint format. Max Verstappen won his third Driver's Championship after his teammate, Sergio Pérez, crashed out in the sprint and was taken out of title contention.

Verstappen secured pole position for the race during qualifying, before finishing third in the sprint shootout behind McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri in first and Lando Norris in second, the former of whom went on to win the sprint. In the main race, Verstappen led all laps, set the fastest lap time, and won ahead of Piastri and Norris, scoring his fourth grand chelem. McLaren set the fastest pit stop record, servicing Norris in 1.80 seconds.

The drivers were severely affected by the extreme heat throughout the weekend, with several calling the race the most difficult they had ever experienced. The difficulty was also exacerbated by the last-minute implementation of an 18-lap maximum tyre stint, recommended by Pirelli and enforced by the FIA. The mandate, the first of its kind in Formula One, came in response to observations of a separation between the carcass cord and the topping compound on the tyres, which could lead to a blow out.

Background

The event was held across the weekend of 6–8 October. It was the seventeenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship and the second running of the Qatar Grand Prix. The weekend was the fourth of six in the season to follow the sprint format. It marked the return of the Qatar Grand Prix to the World Championship after a one year absence. This was because the event was not run in 2022 in order to avoid interfering with Qatar's responsibility for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It was also the first Qatar Grand Prix to be part of a season's original schedule, as the inaugural running of the event in 2021 was held as a substitute event for the cancelled 2021 Australian Grand Prix which was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. The race was the first of a ten-year contract with the FIA until 2032.

Championship standings before the weekend

Coming into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship by 177 points from teammate Sergio Pérez, with Lewis Hamilton third, a further 33 points behind. Red Bull Racing, having secured the title at the preceding Japanese Grand Prix, led the Constructors' Championship over Mercedes by 318 points and Ferrari by a further 20 points.

World Drivers' Championship leader Verstappen had an opportunity to secure his third consecutive title. He could have achieved it by finishing sixth in the sprint, with Pérez winning. Had Verstappen not scored in the sprint and Pérez had won, Verstappen would still only have had to finish eighth in the Grand Prix – regardless of Pérez's result – to win the title. Verstappen would have won the title as his advantage would have been the same as the number of remaining obtainable points in the season (146), but Pérez would not have been able to win on a tiebreaker due to Verstappen achieving more wins than Pérez, even if Pérez had gone on to win the remaining Grands Prix.

Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list, with the exception of Liam Lawson, who was in the seat originally held by Nyck de Vries. , this is the last Grand Prix appearance of Liam Lawson.

Tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C1, C2 and C3 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively) for teams to use at the event.

Tyre safety concerns and responses

After the free practice session and qualifying, Pirelli's analysis of the used tyres gave them concern about damage from the track's kerbs. The previous running of the event in 2021 was notable for four front-left tyre failures, which led to the retirements of two drivers. As a response, the track limits at turns 12 and 13 were altered before the sprint shootout and a ten minute acclimatisation session was added to the schedule on Saturday. The FIA stated that should the tyre concerns persist following the sprint, they would introduce a limit on the maximum number of laps that tyres could be run: 20 laps for the first set of tyres, and 22 laps for subsequent sets, including laps from previous sessions. This would require each driver to make at least three in-race pit stops for tyres.

Due to the frequency of safety cars in the sprint, the tyre data available for analysis by Pirelli was insufficient to add to that already undertaken following the previous track sessions. Before Sunday's race, the FIA amended the maximum number of laps tyres could be run to 18 laps per each set of tyres, down from 20. The mandate to perform three pit-stops was removed, although this remained the consequence of the 18 laps per tyre set rule. Laps run behind the safety car would not be counted towards a tyre's life with regards to the 18 lap limit, meaning a safety car intervention during the race could make a two stop strategy permissible. The rule marked the first time the FIA has enforced stint lengths in a Formula One race for safety reasons.

Practice

The only scheduled free practice session was held on 6 October 2023, at 16:30 local time ( UTC+3). Max Verstappen topped the session, followed by the Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc in second and third, respectively. An extra track acclimatisation session, lasting ten minutes, was held on 7 October 2023, at 16:00 local time (UTC+3), to enable drivers to get used to circuit changes made in response to tyre concerns.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on 6 October 2023, at 20:00 local time ( UTC+3), and determined the starting grid order for the main race.

Qualifying report

Max Verstappen topped the first and third segment, propelling him into pole position ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. The session was affected by numerous track limits violations which negatively affected Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Sergio Pérez, the last of whom had set a time quick enough to get into the third segment but had it deleted.

Lance Stroll experienced another Q1 exit, and in frustration appeared to shove his personal trainer after exiting his car. In a later interview with ''Autosport'' magazine, Stroll stated that he was on good terms with his trainer.

Qualifying classification

;Notes
* – Sergio Pérez qualified 13, but he was required to start the race from the pit lane as the car was fitted with new power unit elements without the approval of the technical delegate during parc fermé and for the new chassis being considered a new car.

Sprint shootout

The sprint shootout was originally scheduled for 7 October 2023, at 16:00 local time ( UTC+3), before being postponed to 16:20 due to an extra track acclimatisation session. It determined the starting grid order for the sprint.

Sprint shootout report

Max Verstappen made a mistake which led to his track times being deleted, which opened the gates for the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to punch through and take a one-two in qualification ahead of Verstappen. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll experienced another first segment elimination and Logan Sargeant's time was over the 107% rule but he was allowed to race under the stewards' discretion.

Sprint shootout classification

;Notes
* – Logan Sargeant failed to set a time within the 107% requirement. He was permitted to race in the sprint at the stewards' discretion.

Sprint

The sprint was held on 7 October 2023, at 20:30 local time ( UTC+3), and was run for 19 laps.

Sprint report

Oscar Piastri took his and McLaren's first sprint victory ahead of Max Verstappen in second and Piastri's teammate Lando Norris in third. Verstappen secured his third consecutive Formula One World Championship after his teammate Sergio Pérez crashed out and was mathematically eliminated from contention. Piastri's sprint victory was his first competitive win of any sort since his final race in Formula 2.

The sprint saw the deployment of three safety cars and five retirements. Liam Lawson and Logan Sargeant both individually spun into the gravel, and Esteban Ocon, Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg crashed together after the Alpine locked up, running into Pérez's side pod and damaging Hülkenberg's front wing and suspension. It was deemed a racing incident by the stewards and no further action was taken.

Alexander Albon, starting in seventeenth, climbed up ten places to finish seventh. The points positions were rounded off by Fernando Alonso, finishing eighth. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc fell foul of track limits and had five seconds added to their times following the race.

Sprint classification

;Notes
* – Charles Leclerc finished seventh on track, but he received a post-sprint five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.
* – Lance Stroll finished thirteenth on track, but he received a post-sprint five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.

Race

The race was held on 8 October 2023, at 20:00 local time ( UTC+3), and was run for 57 laps.

Race report

Prior to the race, a fuel leak in Carlos Sainz Jr.'s car was discovered which prevented him from starting the race. Lewis Hamilton retired from the race after turning into the Mercedes of George Russell at the first corner on lap 1, breaking the hub off his wheel and spinning into the gravel trap. The incident forced the Safety Car to be deployed in order to allow the marshals to remove his car and clear the debris safely. The safety car period ended on lap 4. Max Verstappen led all laps, recorded the fastest lap and won the race ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who both recovered from lower grid positions, resulting in the McLaren team's 500th and 501st podiums. Meanwhile, Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez started from the pit lane, received a penalty for track limits, and recovered to tenth after Lance Stroll received a penalty.

The race was run in challenging, hot conditions: in particular, Esteban Ocon vomited in his car twice but managed to finish the race in seventh, while Logan Sargeant chose to retire due to heat stroke and dehydration, exacerbated by flu-like symptoms he already had coming into the weekend. Sargeant's teammate Alexander Albon was also sent to the medical centre after the race due to heat exposure. Lance Stroll also went directly to the medical centre after the race, and said he was "passing out" in the car and suffered blurred vision. Russell said he was close to losing consciousness at the end of the race. Many drivers, including Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Russell, Ocon, Verstappen, and Norris said it was the most physically demanding race of their careers.

McLaren, servicing Norris, set the new record for the fastest pit stop completed in 1.80 seconds. The previous record was set at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix by Red Bull Racing at 1.82 seconds, servicing Verstappen.

Race classification

Notes
* – Includes one point for fastest lap.
* – Sergio Pérez finished eleventh, but he received a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits. He gained a position following Lance Stroll's penalty.
* – Lance Stroll finished ninth, but he received two five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits.
* – Pierre Gasly finished tenth, but he received two five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits.
* – Alexander Albon received two five-second time penalties for exceeding track limits. His final position was not affected by the penalty.
* – Nico Hülkenberg was due to start the race from fourteenth place, but he erroneously started from the twelfth grid slot which had been left vacant by Carlos Sainz Jr. being unable to start. He received a ten-second time penalty for the infraction.
* – Carlos Sainz Jr. did not start the race due to a fuel leak. His place on the grid was erroneously occupied by Nico Hülkenberg who left the fourteenth place vacant.

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings

;Constructors' Championship standings

* Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
* Competitors in bold and marked with an asterisk are the 2023 World Champions.

Notes

References

External links

{{F1GP 2020–29

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Qatar Grand Prix
2023