Qatar Grand Prix in Doha, Sunday, 08.10.2023
Max Verstappen has become world champion for the third time in a row. Because Sergio Perez could not cross the finish line in the sprint race after a collision with Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon, the title was fixed.
In Qatar, the new format with two races at one venue will be used again, which is becoming more and more established in Formula 1. Verstappen secured pole position for the main race on Sunday. The sprint on Saturday was won by Oscar Piastri ahead of Verstappen.
Saturday acts as an isolated day for the sprint, starting with an abbreviated qualifying session. This session will ultimately determine the order in which the drivers take on the sprint race, which starts a few hours later.
In my Formula 1 Qatar GP tip, I will focus on the odds for the main race on Sunday. I have studied all the betting markets of the best bookmakers for you and present you with my recommendation for Sunday.
Red Bull won the World Constructors’ Championship back in September. The Austrians dominated the season at will. Only in Singapore did the race victory fail to materialise.
However, the racing team did not let this get them down. Only one week later, Max Verstappen again outpaced everyone and celebrated his 13th victory. Carlos Sainz jr. celebrated the only non-Red Bull victory in Singapore.
The other teams will have to cling to two parallels with Singapore if they hope to be a threat to Red Bull this weekend. It’s another night race and not a classic Formula 1 circuit.
Singapore has been on the calendar since 2008, but it is not one of the permanent circuits of the motorsport world and its slippery urban asphalt makes for difficult-to-assess conditions.
And Qatar? The preparation for this circuit is also more complicated. It is not a street circuit, but Formula 1 has only been on the Losail International Circuit once before (2021).
On the podium then were Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. A trio of the greatest in Formula One history. Only in Canada in 2023 did these three stars meet again on the podium.
For the teams, the situation is more complicated in any case because of the limited experience in Qatar. In addition, the teams are struggling with the grip on the new tarmac.
Due to the very high temperatures, the topic of tyre wear will again be a big issue. A topic that is hanging out of Nico Hülkenberg’s ears.
Time and again he missed out on the points after strong qualifying sessions because his Haas put too much strain on the tyres. In the sprint race, it turned out that the soft tyre becomes unusable after only a few laps.
In Doha he is likely to miss out on points again despite making it into Q2, as confirmed by Bet365’s points odds. Hülkenberg was assigned a 9.00.
Haas is banking on the updates being ready for use at the next race in Austin. Until then, Hülkenberg will have to hope that half the field drops out so he can move into the top 10.
Williams worry child Logan Sargeant (6.00) is also rated weak for the weekend. The US American is stumbling massively in the premier class. Time and again he manoeuvres his car into the track boundaries in his search for the limit.
Experts predict that he will retire after this season. A change of driver shortly before the end of the year is unlikely. In addition, two of his home races in the States (Austin and Las Vegas) are still to come.
In two of the last four races Sargeant did not see the finish line and also in Saturday’s race in Qatar he spun into the gravel and had to park.
With the pressure mounting, it could be worth betting on a retirement. Bet365 is providing a 4.33 for “No final classification”.
The final races at the Losail International Circuit:
So much for the back of the field. At the front, Verstappen should again be ahead of everyone if he gets off to a decent start. His closest rivals, the McLaren drivers, will have to start from further back in qualifying after their laps were cut.
For DAZN Bet the situation after Friday’s qualifying is clear: Verstappen (1.16) and then the other candidates for victory: George Russell (13.0) and Lewis Hamilton (15.0). The Mercedes drivers start directly behind the Dutchman.
The McLaren were very strong in Japan and Red Bull chaser number one. Both drivers were able to join them on the podium after the race. For rookie Oscar Piastri it was his first podium ever.
Sergio Perez, on the other hand, had a weekend to forget. He is always prone to making mistakes and had to park his Red Bull in Suzuka after several collisions.
In Qatar, he made another mistake, missed out on Q3 and was around a second slower than Verstappen in his fastest lap.
Summary: There were already three safety car phases in the sprint race on Saturday. Formula 1 fans can look forward to an exciting Grand Prix in any case. Verstappen, however, is not likely to give up victory if he gets off to a good start.
Team-mate Perez will have to start from 13th on the grid after another weak qualifying session. The RB’s race pace is known to be even stronger than its qualifying performance this year.
Ferrari, on the other hand, are stumbling this weekend, with tyre wear in particular being massive for the Italians. Leclerc may start eight places ahead of Perez, but will still lose the direct duel offered by Bwin in a long race against Perez, in my opinion.
My Formula 1 Qatar GP tip: Perez beats Leclerc
