2025 Qatar Grand Prix - Lusail, Nov 28 - 30

[MtthsMlw]

Tyre selection
C1 - C2 - C3

2024 Results
Qualifying


Race




2024 Pole Lap
2024 Race Highlights
Schedule and more information | SPRINT™ weekend

[venkyhere]

Is the 25 lap limit on tyre usage, confirmed ? If yes, it will greatly restrict how teams go about the weekend, since even otherwise sprint weekends are more restrictive than regular weekends anyway. Allotment = 2H, 4M, 6S

Options I can think of :

[chrisc90]

Could we see limited FP1 running? Guess not given it’s a sprint too.

[search]

One set needs to be returned after FP1 anyway, so that one will definitely be used. +Maybe one quali lap on softs. So more or less as usual.

I guess key will be to keep at least one SQ-Medium at 6 laps max to be allowed to use it in the sprint*.

*edit: just checked, last year 18/20 drivers started the sprint on a used medium. Only Colapino (M) and Zhou (S - hardly made it to lap 10) took new ones.

[SiLo]

Pirelli either need to make a better tyre just for this race, or we shouldn't be racing here if the curbs + stress are too dangerous for modern cars.

[AR3-GP]

T1 is going to be a mess this weekend.

[venkyhere]

This 'mandatory max tyre age' restriction, it has removed all the unpredictability associated with "when is that guy going to pit" , "should we use this SC/VSC to pit or not" , "what if they pit under SC/VSC and enjoy a free tyre change" ; the only silver lining is that it will make everyone just hammer and go full attack on their stints, without bothering to 'preserve' tyre life much. So we may see some pretty fast race laptimes this weekend, and fastest laps ping pong across 10 cars over the race. I am very curious to see what min.tyre perssure Pirelli are going to come up with for the Qatar GP - 29F,27R or 30F,27R ?

[Chuckjr]

The great part about the tire restriction is that all drivers push FULL SEND the entire race. That is fantastic. LOVE IT.

[search]

This 'mandatory max tyre age' restriction, it has removed all the unpredictability associated with "when is that guy going to pit" , "should we use this SC/VSC to pit or not" , "what if they pit under SC/VSC and enjoy a free tyre change"

I don't like it either, but I think at 25 laps max in a 57 lap race, it should still allow some strategy variations. Personally I couldn't say yet which tire choices are likely to be the best ones, at least. Two long stints to start with would keep you in position for a late SC-stop and a sprint on softs, but three equally short stints are likely faster.

A SC around lap 10 on the other hand would kill all strategy options indeed, though.

[Farnborough]

This 'mandatory max tyre age' restriction, it has removed all the unpredictability associated with "when is that guy going to pit" , "should we use this SC/VSC to pit or not" , "what if they pit under SC/VSC and enjoy a free tyre change" ; the only silver lining is that it will make everyone just hammer and go full attack on their stints, without bothering to 'preserve' tyre life much. So we may see some pretty fast race laptimes this weekend, and fastest laps ping pong across 10 cars over the race. I am very curious to see what min.tyre perssure Pirelli are going to come up with for the Qatar GP - 29F,27R or 30F,27R ?

Me too

It looks to me that last week in LV the raised pressure (particularly rear) adversely affected the McL chassis for porpoising, the latent tyre frequency really seemed to play havoc with their, otherwise good, suspension dynamics at close to maximum velocity. It looked as if it took them outside their accepted suspension and damping curves.

[Badger]

Maybe they should just attach 4 air balloons to the wheel hubs and float around the track.

[search]

Historical race speed in Qatar, compared to the rest of the season. Via Kevin Herrmann's analysis on the Formel1.de Youtube channel:



(must say 2023-2024, of course. There was no race in 2022)

[AR3-GP]

It would suggest that Mclaren will be tough to beat.

[langedweil]

It would suggest that Mclaren will be tough to beat.

I really can't tell anything from that graph tbh ... 1.16 secs faster than the average pace over the rest of the tracks over a 3 season timespan.
It kinda feels like "One in 6 people has 5 other people around him/her"

[langedweil]

It would suggest that Mclaren will be tough to beat.

I really can't tell anything from that graph tbh ... 1.16 secs faster than the average pace over the rest of the tracks over a 3 season timespan.

It kinda feels like "One in 6 people has 5 other people around him/her".

I mean, I understand what they are trying to do here, but there was no 2022 race for starters, so is Qatar still being measured against 2022 track-times, or is it just 2023/2024 ?

In 2024 they had the Miami update that brought them forward, which means if you compare against way worse results from 2022 up until Mia 2024 it's gonna skew things.