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It's a more planned start for F1 this time, and very little data from the 2021 race will help the teams this weekend. Resurfacing means the tarmac is an unknown quantity for the drivers racing much-evolved cars since F1's last Qatari trip. Furthermore, 2023's competitors will need to learn a lot with little practice time — another Sprint Saturday is here.
Title celebrations are certain for Max Verstappen on Saturday or Sunday. The Dutchman will secure his third consecutive World Drivers' Championship crown if he scores three more points or should his teammate fail to finish in the upper positions. With Sprint coming on Saturday, there's a high likelihood that Verstappen will be champion before he turns a wheel in Sunday's Grand Prix. He needs a P6 finish in the 100 km Sprint race to seal the inevitable.
Not much unsettles the potent Red Bull-Verstappen combination, but there's the slight possibility that their rivals will have some competitiveness in Qatar. There's only one Free Practice for the teams to finesse their setup at a circuit they don't know well. Without any support series and the nearby desert blowing sand over, mastering track evolution is a requirement for anyone hoping to win the race... or the championship.
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A conservative tyre trio from Pirelli is available to counter the high lateral loads of Losail's 16 corners. Like in Suzuka, last time out, the C1, C2, and C3 options will see the teams have the second-most durable options.
Remember that Saturday's Sprint means there's no requirement for pit stops, so understanding which of the three tyres will last the 100-km distance while still performing well is crucial. As you might expect, there's no chance of rain in Qatar, so we'll have slick running across all three days.
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It's unlikely that Verstappen will take his third title without a race winner's trophy to go with it. The blip at Singapore is long behind him, and the ease with which he won the Japanese GP by a comfortable 20-second margin suggests it'll be similar in Qatar. Despite the obvious geographical differences, Suzuka and Losail share some circuit characteristics, like the varied mixture of corner tyres that Red Bull excelled on.
McLaren is the team on the ascendency, though, and Lando Norris looks the most likely driver to challenge Verstappen for victory. He and rookie teammate Oscar Piastri featured on the Japanese podium, with Piastri taking his first front-row start and first F1 podium at Suzuka. The young, potent driver pairing has a redeveloped car underneath them that they hope can keep inching closer to Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso returned to the podium in Qatar in 2021, ending a seven-year silverware drought, and will look to return to his rostrum-visiting ways from earlier in 2023. Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, and Charles Leclerc will also be in the fight, with Red Bull's rivals all on relatively level footing.
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Contrary to the early start times of Japan, Qatar is comfortable evening viewing. Lights out is at 6 PM on Sunday. Friday's qualifying is at the same time, and the Sprint on Saturday is a 6:30 PM race.
Qualifying – On air: 5:30 PM, Session start: 6 PM Friday 6th October
Sprint – On air: 5:30 PM, Session start: 6:30 PM Saturday 7th October
Race – On air: 4:30 PM, Session start: 6 PM Sunday 8th October
Qualifying/Sprint – Highlights: 9:35 PM Saturday 7th October
Race – Highlights: 11 PM Sunday 8th October
Qualifying/Race – Hot temperatures, even under the night sky, with some gusts that might blow sand across the circuit. Although there are highs of 39°C, the drivers should avoid the worst of that, with 'cooler' temperatures of around 32°C in the later sessions.