The second Qatar Grand Prix is here after the event was not held last year due to the 2022 football World Cup;
Verstappen bounced back from a torrid weekend in Singapore with arguably his most dominant performance of 2023 so far as he topped every session and took a sensational pole lap which Karun Chandhok labelled as “one of the great qualifying laps in F1 history”.The Dutchman, who needs to finish sixth or higher to secure the title this Saturday in the Sprint Race, held off the McLaren challenge at the start of the race and romped his way to victory No 13 of the year.
There’s not many reasons to think Verstappen won’t seal the title this Saturday – not Sunday, as it’s a Sprint Weekend. However, the Losail International Circuit is very challenging for what looks like a conventional race track.