Days after celebrating the win for Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen as Formula 1 World Champion for 2024 during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, has now travelled a distance of approximately 8 thousand miles to Qatar for this weekend’s final race before season end.
The race started in 2021 having been planned to be held in Australia however the event was cancelled and Qatar came into the circuit from 2023 permanently. The race will be held at the Losail International Circuit, just outside Qatar’s capital city of Doha and for the second consecutive year, there will be a standalone Sprint race in addition to the main race.
The venue used is located at Losail International Circuit and it has track length of 3.43m and around the circuit as an artificial grass to prevent sand from accumulating on the track surface. Originally, it was built for motorcycle racing for MotoGP category and because of this, the track has a very swift design and as such passing is not easy due to the high speed.
There are in total 16 turn including 10 right side and 6 left side and the main straight is approximately 0.198 laps; however, the DRS is allowed only in the end of main straight. The surface is one of the toughest on the calendar and last year there were even compulsory pit-stops every 18 laps due to the sheer degradation of tires which is not very likely to happen this year.
Conditions in last year’s race were also almost unbearable due to extreme heat experienced on the particular day of the race. However, this year’s race occurs in October, two months later and when the temperatures are cooler. The current forecast is expected to have high of about 75 F degrees.
Because of the intense heat, the conditions of last year's event were likewise nearly difficult to manage. The race this year, however, is held two months later, during a significantly colder period. As of right now, high temperatures are only expected to reach about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
The main race takes place on Sunday, while the Sprint race and qualifying session take place on Saturday. Before Sunday's main race qualifying session, there is a stand-alone points race called the Sprint race. Following one practice session, it has its own qualifying session on Friday.
The competition for second place in the Drivers' standings and first place in the Constructors' standings is still very much alive, despite Verstappen's announcement as the 2024 World Champion.
Despite Mercedes' outstanding performance in Las Vegas, the odds have suddenly changed, and Lando Norris is now the shortest-priced driver going into Qatar at $3.00 with BlondeBet.
Given McLaren's recent decline in performance, their odds are excessively optimistic, which could present a chance for gamblers to profit from the best online bookies.
Mercedes isn't anticipated to duplicate its dominance in Las Vegas in Qatar. Their unexpected performance spike still baffles engineers and drivers.
The team has historically performed well in colder climates, as seen by victories at Silverstone and Spa earlier this season.
