Alkass Digital
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is hoping to seal his third straight drivers’ world title at the Lusail International Circuit (LIC) which is set to host the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix after undergoing extensive remodeling.
With the world class venue sold out for three days of action starting today, Verstappen is poised to celebrate his triumph amid huge roar as spectator capacity has beefed up to 52,000.
Verstappen, who helped Red Bull seal the 2023 Constructors’ Championship crown with a victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, has won 13 out of 16 races in the 22-race calendar. The 26-year-old has accumulated 400 points, leading teammate Sergio Perez by 177 points.
The Dutchman only has to show a glimpse of his brilliance this season as he can wrap up the title even before Sunday’s Grand Prix. He needs only three championship points, and a sixth finish or better in tomorrow’s highly-anticipated night sprint race will assure him of a world title again.
The Qatar Grand Prix is also a special occasion for the local organisers with the iconic venue becoming operational again after months of remodeling. While the popular track layout remains unchanged, expanded seating capacity, five-star VIP zones and new viewing areas besides other attractive features are expected to wow all those involved.
“It would be amazing to win it here,” Verstappen told a pre-event press conference yesterday.
“To win three in a row is never easy, you need a very good car for that, but I always try to be consistent and not have too many mistakes. Consistent, reliable, of course we are having a great season and the car is in a good window. But it is still easy when you are driving on the limit to make mistakes, and that’s what I try to eliminate. I love racing, I love racing F1 cars so I just try to enjoy it.”
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes outpaced Verstappen when Qatar made Formula 1 debut in 2021 but the Red Bull star sounded confident ahead of the upcoming battle.
“At the time I was also fighting for my first title so the emotions are very different. Now that you’ve won two already and you’re going for your third, so it’s very different emotions but also, you know, the position we are in as a team is very different. The car is much better than what it was back then, the feelings are completely different. But I liked that year of fighting to the end, but I also enjoy what I’m doing right now. I think it’s beautiful to have in different ways,” he said.
As the track deemed “challenging” and “tricky” by racers in 2021 remains the same, the drivers face a tough challenge under hot and windy conditions expected for today and tomorrow.
“The wind can be quite a big thing around here, the sun changing session to session and that makes it very challenging to find the sweet spot for the car. Going from FP1 straight to qualifying, there will be a lot of chaos tomorrow,” said Perez.
In addition to Verstappen’s possible title win, the Perez-Hamilton battle for a second place and Mercedes-Ferrari contest for runners-up spot in the Constructors’ Championship will take limelight at the Lusail Circuit.
“I’m definitely proud of the job we’ve done, we started off on the back foot and have had so many challenges this year. For us to be second in the constructors’ is huge and isn’t spoken of enough,” Hamilton said yesterday.
Today, the free practice will begin at 4:30pm followed by the qualifying to start at 8:00pm. The shootout will get underway at 4:00pm with sprint scheduled at 8:30pm. The Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday will kick off at 8:00pm.
Exciting entertainment line-up will add colours during three days of action with Egyptian artist Amr Diab set to dazzle audiences today. Superstar Alesso will light up the stage tomorrow while global megastar Bruno Mars will entertain fans after the Grand Prix.