Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix Prediction: Max Verstappen is the champion!

The Red Bull ace reached his third title in a row six races before the end of the season. From the very beginning of the current Formula 1 season, the question was not whether, but when and how Max Verstappen would win another - the third, consecutive title. And he did it as befits him - dominantly. There are six races left until the end of the season, and Max already secured the most important trophy of the season during the sprint in Qatar and continued his dominance. Max Verstappen says that of the three titles he has won so far, the title in the 2023 season was the best. The Dutchman is very satisfied with the performance he showed during the year and believes that he has never had such a good performance. Verstappen notes that despite being combative, tough and emotional, he wouldn't put the first title he won two years ago above the current season. The reason is very simple, because in 2021 it was not at such a high level as it is now. He is very proud of his constancy.

Formula 1 came to Qatar for the first time in 2021 as a replacement for the canceled race for the Australian Grand Prix. Australia withdrew from hosting the race for the second year in a row, leaving an empty spot on the calendar to fill. After a series of speculations, it was decided in September 2021 that the Losail track near Doha would fill the vacancy. The Qatar GP was the last stop of the final triple weekend on the calendar after the Mexican and Brazilian GPs. The Grand Prix of Azerbaijan, Austria and Belgium have so far this season featured a short Saturday sprint race, and among the last six race weekends of the season, we will see a sprint three more times. First in Qatar, and then in the USA (Circuit of the Americas) and Brazil.

The excellent result of the sprint qualification, the McLaren drivers carried over to the sprint race as well. Rookie Oscar Piastri took the win, teammate Lando Norris made a great recovery after a bad start, and without much fanfare Max Verstappen won his third championship by finishing second. The start of the 19-lap sprint race went well for Oscar Piastri, but not for Lando Norris. The Brit fell to sixth place. Both Ferraris had a great start, as did George Russell. Max Verstappen also did not make a name for himself, and after the initial push he remained in fifth place.

Last year, Qatar did not host the F1 race, as the country was focused on organizing the World Cup in football. Between the two editions of the Qatar GP, the track underwent certain changes. Not in terms of configuration, but it has received a new layer of tarmac, for the first time since it opened in 2004. Also, Losail now has a new building above the pits and a new Paddock. Verstappen will start from the first position and now he can drive without any pressure. Mercedes was amazing the whole weekend and showed incredible speed same as McLaren. Ferrari wasn’t bad, but somehow both drivers are in the shadow of their opponents and it’s interesting to see how they will do in the actual race. It seems to me that Hamilton can now drive a good race and finish on the podium after a few bad races this season. His Mercedes has had good performances all weekend and with his experience, he will fight his way to the podium.

OUR PREDICTION: Lewis Hamilton in top 3