The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2023) was an exhilarating and highly anticipated eighteenth round of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Losail International Circuit on the weekend of October 6 to October 8 2023. This event saw top drivers and teams competing for victory and crucial championship points. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull Racing, delivered a spectacular performance, securing pole position and dominating the race. His flawless drive enabled him to maintain a significant lead throughout the event, ultimately crossing the finish line in first place.
This event featured the fourth Grand Prix weekend of the season utilizing the sprint format. Max Verstappen clinched his third Driver's Championship title, thanks in part to his teammate Sergio Pérez's unfortunate crash during the sprint race.
Verstappen impressively secured pole position during the qualifying session. However, in the sprint race, he finished third, with McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris taking the first and second spots, respectively. Piastri emerged as the victor in the sprint race. Nonetheless, Verstappen made a triumphant comeback during the main race, securing the top position ahead of Piastri and Norris. This victory played a pivotal role in his successful bid for the Driver's Championship.
Background[]
Sprint events[]
The sprint format had ran at six Grands Prix starting this season, compared to three in 2021 and 2022.[1] It had took place at the Azerbaijan, Austrian, Belgian, Qatar, United States and São Paulo Grands Prix.[2]
To accommodate the sprint events, a fresh weekend format was introduced, departing from the one used in 2021 and 2022. The revamped schedule kicks off with a single practice session on Friday, followed by the all-important qualifying session to determine the starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. On Saturday, a thrilling new qualifying session, Sprint Shootout, replaces the former second practice session. This session is solely responsible for establishing the grid positions for the Sprint.
The Grand Prix itself still takes place on Sunday, but the build-up and anticipation were heightened by the intense Sprint Shootout on Saturday.
In contrast to the traditional qualifying, the Sprint Shootout qualifying features shorter durations for each phase. Q1 lasts for 12 minutes, Q2 for 10 minutes, and Q3 for a nail-biting 8 minutes. Additionally, a fresh set of tires was mandatory for each phase of the Sprint Shootout. Teams must use medium tires for Q1 and Q2, while the high-performance soft tires are reserved for Q3, adding a strategic twist to the proceedings.[3]
Ahead of the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, the FIA modified the rules for tire usage during the Sprint Shootout. Race Director, Niels Wittich, announced the revised rule for Article 30.5 h) iv), to:
“In the period SQ3 of the sprint shootout, up to one set of dry-weather tyres may be used, and this must only be a set of the soft specification.”
Ultimately, this allowed teams to use a used set of tires in Sprint Shootout.[4]
Weekend format[]
The event was the fourth in the season to feature a new format specifically adopted for those Grands Prix which include the additional sprint race. The format will consist of a single practice session on Friday, followed by the qualifying session which will determine the grid for the Sunday's Grand Prix. On Saturday, a new qualifying session called "sprint shootout", in place of the old second practice session, will be run, determining the grid for the sprint. The Grand Prix is taken place on Sunday. The new sprint shootout qualifying is run shorter than the traditional qualifying: Q1 will be 12 minutes, Q2 10 minutes and Q3 8 minutes. In addition, new tyres are mandatory for each phase, with mediums for Q1 and Q2, and softs for Q3.[5]
Track changes[]
The DRS detection point was moved further back, being positioned 40 metres (130 ft) after turn 15. As a result, the DRS activation point was moved further back, being established 130 metres (430 ft) after turn 16.[6][7] Also, the Speed Trap had been moved back for 5 metres (16 ft), being positioned 210 metres (690 ft) before turn 1.[8][9]
Tyre safety concerns[]
Following analysis after the only practice session and qualifying were held, Pirelli expressed concern about damage being caused by kerbs. As a response, the track limits at turns 12 and 13 were altered overnight and a ten-minute acclimatisation session was added to the schedule on Saturday. The FIA stated that should the tyre concerns persist following the track acclimatisation session on Saturday, they introduced a mandatory maximum number of laps that tyres could be run, 20 laps for the first set of tyres during the race, 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.[10]
Due to the frequency of safety car interventions in the sprint, the tyre data available for analysis by Pirelli was insufficient to add to that already undertaken following previous track sessions. For Sunday, the FIA amended the maximum number of laps tyres could be run to 18 laps per each set of tyres, down from 20, in the build-up to the race. The mandate to perform three pit-stops was removed, although this remains the consequence of the 18 laps per tyre set rule, should be race be run to its completion. Laps run behind the safety car would not be counted towards a tyres life with regards to the 18 lap limit, meaning a safety car intervention during the race could make a two stop strategy permissible.[10]
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix is outlined below:
Free Practice[]
Report[]
Practice Results[]
The full results of the only practice session for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix are outlined below:
No. | Driver | Team | Time | Pos | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:27.428 | 1 | |||||
2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 1:28.550 | 11 | |||||
4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:28.441 | 10 | |||||
10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 1:28.821 | 16 | |||||
11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:28.016 | 5 | |||||
14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:27.919 | 4 | |||||
16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:27.909 | 3 | |||||
18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:28.690 | 14 | |||||
20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:29.502 | 20 | |||||
22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:28.027 | 6 | |||||
23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1:28.590 | 12 | |||||
24 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:29.106 | 18 | |||||
27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 1:28.171 | 7 | |||||
31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1:28.732 | 15 | |||||
40 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:29.238 | 19 | |||||
44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:28.679 | 13 | |||||
55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr. | Ferrari | 1:27.762 | 2 | |||||
63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:28.236 | 8 | |||||
77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:29.041 | 17 | |||||
81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 9 | ||||||
Source: [12] |
Qualifying[]
Q1[]
Q2[]
Q3[]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix are outlined below:
Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | Time | Time | |||||
1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:25.007 | 1:24.483 | 1:23.778 | 1 |
2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:26.076 | 1:24.381 | 1:24.219 | 2 |
3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:26.076 | 1:24.381 | 1:24.305 | 3 |
4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:25.223 | 1:25.241 | 1:24.369 | 4 |
5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:25.452 | 1:25.079 | 1:24.424 | 5 |
6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.266 | 1:24.724 | 1:24.540 | 6 |
7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 1:25.566 | 1:24.918 | 1:24.553 | 7 |
8 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1:25.711 | 1:24.928 | 1:24.763 | 8 |
9 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:26.038 | 1:25.297 | 1:25.058 | 9 |
10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.131 | 1:24.685 | No Time | 10 |
11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:26.058 | 1:25.301 | N/A | 11 |
12 | 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr. | Ferrari | 1:25.808 | 1:25.301 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:25.991 | 1:25.462 | N/A | PL[13] |
14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1:26.118 | 1:25.783 | N/A | 13 |
15 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 1:25.904 | 1:25.783 | N/A | 14 |
16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 1:26.210 | N/A | N/A | 15 |
17 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:26.345 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
18 | 40 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:26.635 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
19 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:27.046 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:27.432 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
107% Time: 1:30.957 | |||||||
Source:[14] |
- Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
Race Grid[]
The starting grid of the feature race of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix is outined below:
Pos. | Pos. | |
---|---|---|
Driver | Driver | |
______________ | ||
Row 1 | 1 | ______________ |
01. Verstappen | 2 | |
______________ | 63. Russell | |
Row 2 | 3 | ______________ |
44. Hamilton | 4 | |
______________ | 14. Alonso | |
Row 3 | 5 | ______________ |
16. Leclerc | 6 | |
______________ | 81. Piastri | |
Row 4 | 7 | ______________ |
10. Gasly | 8 | |
______________ | 31. Ocon | |
Row 5 | 9 | ______________ |
77. Bottas | 10 | |
______________ | 04. Norris | |
Row 6 | 11 | ______________ |
22. Tsunoda | 12 | |
______________ | 55. Sainz | |
Row 7 | 13 | ______________ |
23. Albon | 14 | |
______________ | 27. Hülkenberg | |
Row 8 | 15 | ______________ |
02. Sargeant | 16 | |
______________ | 18. Stroll | |
Row 9 | 17 | ______________ |
40. Lawson | 18 | |
______________ | 20. Magnussen | |
Row 10 | 19 | ______________ |
24. Zhou | 20 | |
______________ |
Grid Penalty[]
- Sergio Pérez was required to start the feature race from the pit lane as he changed multiple power unit under Parc Fermé situation. [13]
Sprint Shootout[]
SQ1[]
SQ2[]
SQ3[]
Sprint Shootout Results[]
The full sprint shootout results for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix are outlined below:
Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 | Grid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | Time | Time | |||||
1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.979 | 1:25.496 | 1:24.454 | 1 |
2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.672 | 1:24.947 | 1:24.536 | 2 |
3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:25.510 | 1:25.199 | 1:24.646 | 3 |
4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:25.413 | 1:25.027 | 1:24.841 | 4 |
5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr. | Ferrari | 1:25.872 | 1:25.433 | 1:25.155 | 5 |
6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:26.266 | 1:25.367 | 1:25.247 | 6 |
7 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 1:26.450 | 1:25.499 | 1:25.230 | 7 |
8 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:26.123 | 1:25.143 | 1:25.382 | 8 |
9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:25.936 | 1:25.344 | No Time | 9 |
10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1:26.072 | 1:25.510 | No Time | 10 |
11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 1:25.829 | 1:25.686 | N/A | 11 |
12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:26.424 | 1:25.962 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:26.449 | 1:26.236 | N/A | 13 |
14 | 40 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:26.202 | 1:26.584 | N/A | 14 |
15 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:26.669 | 1:54.546 | N/A | 15 |
16 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:26.849 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1:26.862 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:26.926 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
19 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:27.438 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
107% Time: 1:31.391 | |||||||
NC | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 2:05.741 | N/A | N/A | 20[15] |
Source:[16] |
- Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
Notes:
- Logan Sargeant was unable to set a lap time within the 107% Rule, but was permitted to start the sprint race according to the Stewards' decision.[15]
Sprint Grid[]
Pos. | Pos. | |
---|---|---|
Driver | Driver | |
______________ | ||
Row 1 | 1 | ______________ |
81. Piastri | 2 | |
______________ | 04. Norris | |
Row 2 | 3 | ______________ |
01. Verstappen | 4 | |
______________ | 63. Russell | |
Row 3 | 5 | ______________ |
55. Sainz | 6 | |
______________ | 16. Leclerc | |
Row 4 | 7 | ______________ |
27. Hülkenberg | 8 | |
______________ | 11. Pérez | |
Row 5 | 9 | ______________ |
14. Alonso | 10 | |
______________ | 31. Ocon | |
Row 6 | 11 | ______________ |
10. Gasly | 12 | |
______________ | 44. Hamilton | |
Row 7 | 13 | ______________ |
77. Bottas | 14 | |
______________ | 40. Lawson | |
Row 8 | 15 | ______________ |
24. Zhou | 16 | |
______________ | 18. Stroll | |
Row 9 | 17 | ______________ |
23. Albon | 18 | |
______________ | 22. Tsunoda | |
Row 10 | 19 | ______________ |
20. Magnussen | 20 | |
______________ | 02. Sargeant[15] |
Sprint Race[]
Report[]
Sprint Results[]
The full results for the sprint race of 2023 Qatar Grand Prix are outlined below:
Sprint Penalties[]
- Lance Stroll originally finished 12th, but has received a 5-second time penalty as they both left the track without justifiable reason(s) multiple times that drops him down to 15th.[18]
- Charles Leclerc originally finished 7th, but has received a 5-second time penalty as they both left the track without justifiable reason(s) multiple times that drops him down to 12th.[17]
Race[]
Report[]
Results[]
The full results for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix are outlined below:
Post-Race Time Penalties[]
- Sergio Pérez originally finished 8th, but received a 5-second time penalty due to track limit violations.[20]
- Lance Stroll originally finished 9th, but received two 5-second time penalty due to track limit violations.[21][22]
- Pierre Gasly originally finished 10th, but received two 5-second time penalty due to track limit violations.[23][24]
- Alexander Albon originally finished 11th, but received two 5-second time penalty due to track limit violations.[25][26]
Milestones[]
- 3rd consecutive World Title for Max Verstappen
- 49th career Win
- 30th career pole position
- 10th career hat trick
- 4th career grand chelem
- Final career race of Liam Lawson as of 2023
Standings[]
Following the Sprint race, Max Verstappen accumulated sufficient points to secure a lead that his teammate, Sergio Pérez couldn't close before the season finale. Consequently, Max Verstappen clinched the World Champion title for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Post-Sprint Standings[]
Only point-scoring drivers are shown. |
|
Post-Race Standings[]
Only point-scoring drivers are shown. |
|
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ "Formula 1 calendar to feature six Sprint events from 2023 onwards". 27 September 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-formula-1-calendar-to-feature-six-sprint-events-from-2023-onwards.6JpUPQeXnDnmYEzvlcySXk.html. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ "Formula 1 announces venues for six F1 Sprint events across 2023 season" (in en). 7 December 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-formula-1-announces-venues-for-six-f1-sprint-events-across-2023.4tvAAXFGdkoHKE8Onjh8Ya.html. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ↑ "Explained: Everything you need to know about the 2023 F1 Sprint format". 25 April 2023. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.explained-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2023-f1-sprint-format.583WHWKbWVVBemPKi6pJxH.html. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ "FIA tweaks F1 sprint qualifying tyre rules to avoid inters farce". 29 June 2023. https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-tweaks-f1-sprint-qualifying-tyres-rules-to-avoid-inters-farce/10488948/. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ↑ "Explained: Everything you need to know about the 2023 F1 Sprint format". 25 April 2023. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.explained-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2023-f1-sprint-format.583WHWKbWVVBemPKi6pJxH.html. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ "F1 – 2023 Qatar Grand Prix Preview". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 4 October 2023. https://www.fia.com/news/f1-2023-qatar-grand-prix-preview. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ↑ "F1 – 2021 Qatar Grand Prix Preview". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 18 November 2021. https://www.fia.com/news/f1-2021-qatar-grand-prix-preview. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ↑ "2021 Qatar Grand Prix - Circuit Map" (in en) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 17 November 2021. https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2021%20Qatar%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Circuit%20Map.pdf. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ "2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Event Notes - Circuit Map, Pit Lane and Red Zone" (in en) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 October 2023. https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Qatar%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Event%20Notes%20-%20Circuit%20Map,%20Pit%20Lane%20and%20Red%20Zone.pdf. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "FIA statement – Treatment of tyres for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix – Update" (in en). 2023-10-08. https://www.fia.com/news/fia-statement-treatment-tyres-2023-fia-formula-1-qatar-grand-prix-update. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ↑ 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Final Qualifying Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Final Qualifying Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Decision - Car 2 - Failing to set a Sprint Shootout lap time within 107% (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Final Sprint Shootout Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 16 - Leaving the track multiple times (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 18 - Leaving the track multiple times (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Final Sprint Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 11 - Leaving the track multiple times (third) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 18 - Leaving the track multiple times (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 18 - Leaving the track multiple times (second) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 10 - Leaving the track multiple times (second) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 10 - Leaving the track multiple times (third) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 23 - Leaving the track multiple times (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 23 - Leaving the track multiple times (second) (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 Qatar Grand Prix - Final Race Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
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V T E | Qatar Grand Prix | |
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Circuits | Lusail International Circuit (2021, 2023-present) | |
Races | 2021 • 2023 • 2024 |