The travelling circus of Formula 1 put on a dazzling show at the Losail International Circuit in the Qatar Grand Prix. Tons of drama and storylines headlined the weekend even before the qualifying on Friday, as Max Verstappen was on the brink of bagging his third World Championship.
True enough, Verstappen did in fact become a triple F1 champion, and he did it even before Sunday’s race day began! The Red Bull phenom was poised to bag the title as early as Saturday during the sprint race. Yes, his lead in the drivers’ points was that massive. He finished second in the sprint, which was well enough to secure his championship.
Not only did Verstappen bag his third championship, he won the Qatar Grand Prix in dominant fashion as well! Fortunately, the race weekend had other headlines that every Formula 1 fan would fancy. Courtesy of SBOTOP, here are some notable Qatar Grand Prix 2023 news.
Piastri’s dream weekend
Oscar Piastri was the hottest commodity in Formula 1 last year. After winning the F2 series, he was rightly promoted to F1 as Alpine’s reserve driver. Multiple teams on the grid had their eyes set on acquiring Piastri’s services, but McLaren ended up winning the Oscar sweepstakes.
The Australian driver had a lot of pressure riding on his shoulders as McLaren replaced their proven driver, Daniel Ricciardo, for him. An Aussie-for-Aussie move.
He started off slow at the beginning of the season. With all eyes on him, Piastri struggled in his first 10 races for Maclaren, but he did show a modest drive in his home race at the Australian Grand Prix by finishing eighth.
The young rookie suddenly got possessed at Silverstone and never looked back. He boosted his points in the last eight races and got his first podium finish in the Japan Grand Prix, where he finished third. It seemed like the Australian found his footing in the big leagues and started to put his elbows out against other drivers.
Piastri picked up where he left off at the Qatar Grand Prix. He started off strong in the qualifying stage by finishing with the third best time, but during his interview on live television, Piastri found out he had been penalized for exceeding track limits. His fastest lap time had been deleted, and he would be dropping to sixth on the grid to start the Grand Prix.
That didn’t seem to bother Maclaren’s rising star that much, as he drove with such pace and elegance that he won the sprint race the next day, his first Formula 1 victory of any description.
No, Piastri wasn’t done just yet. He took the momentum from winning the sprint race to propel himself in the Grand Prix. He emerged second out of turn one and drove a perfect race all throughout. He finished in second place, which is his best finish in his entire rookie campaign so far.
It was a dream weekend for McLaren, as Oscar’s teammate Lando Norris also had a strong Grand Prix by finishing third. We have seen back-to-back Grand Prix races with two McLaren drivers on the podium. This bolsters McLaren’s chances to overtake Aston Martin in the Constructor standings, as the two teams are now only separated by 11 points, a big shakeup in the Qatar Grand Prix 2023 betting odds.
Hamilton’s fatal error
Verstappen took pole position for Sunday’s race in Qatar, as he usually does, but long-time rivals Mercedes had a dominating qualifying, as the Silver Arrows finished second and third.
They were primed to garner a considerable number of points given their positions to start the race, points that would swell their lead in the Constructor standings against the looming Scuderia.
But their hopes for fruitful race results ended seconds after the green light beamed on the track. Disaster struck the Silver Arrows in the opening lap of the Grand Prix as the seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, collided with teammate George Russel in the first turn.
Both Mercs had a strong start off the lines and went almost neck and neck towards turn one. Hamilton tried to go around the outside, but ended up crashing his wheel onto his teammate, causing him to spin into the gravel. The crash forced Hamilton to retire from the race, ending his hopes of putting points up the board for him and Mercedes, while Russell dropped to the back of the field.
Hamilton kept his head down and took full accountability for the incident. He went to his social media and said, “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100% my fault and I take full responsibility,” he added “Apologies to my team and to George.” With his retirement from the race, Ferrari are now just 28 points behind the Silver Arrows.
George Russel, on the other hand, was rightfully upset right after the incident, kept his head down, and unleashed his frustrations on the race track. With all odds against him, he blazed through the track from the back of the pack and drove a masterful race. He astonishingly finished the race in fourth place, ahead of their midfield rivals, Ferrari and Aston Martin.
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