Lewis
Hamilton will hope to put Max Verstappen under further pressure when the
inaugural Qatar Grand Prix takes place this weekend.
The
title was seemingly heading Verstappen’s way, but a stunning drive from Hamilton in Brazil means that the Dutchman’s lead has been cut to 14 points.
With
the drivers and constructor’s title races heating up, the 21st race of 2021
promises to provide even more drama.
Grand Prix: Losail International
Circuit
Following
the Singapore, Bahrain and Sakhir Grand Prix’s, the Qatar Grand Prix will be
the fourth in F1 history to run as a night race.
The
race was a late introduction into the 2021 calendar, replacing the Australian
Grand Prix which was cancelled due to covid-19 restrictions.
The
Losail International Circuit is 5.38km long and drivers will contest 57 laps on
Sunday’s race, with a switch back to standard practice and qualifying after
last week’s sprint race.
With
several nice straights- including a 1km straight at the finish line-
there will be plenty of overtaking opportunities, though 16 high-speed corners will also
test them.
The
traditional Thursday walk-around will be important for every driver, with this
being the first time that an F1 Grand Prix has been held at the circuit.
Sergio
Perez is the only driver who has raced at Losail before, although that was a GP2
race over a decade ago.
Title battle rages on
The
main focus continues to be Verstappen and Hamilton’s title fight, which looks
set to be a to-the-wire contest after starting with a thrilling duel back at
the Sakhir Grand Prix in March.
Hamilton
will have the wind beneath his sails after one of the greatest performances of
his career in Brazil, and Mercedes generally fare better than Red Bull in the
Middle East.
The
Brit, chasing an historic eighth world title, perhaps goes in as favourite and
could potentially take the championship lead with only two races left.
The
driver’s championship battle is matched by the constructor’s battle, where
Mercedes lead Red Bull by 11 points after Hamilton’s victory and Valtteri
Bottas’ third-placed finish in Brazil.
Hamilton
and Verstappen are at the forefront for that battle, but Bottas and Red Bull’s
Perez will also play a key part.
Both
have regained form after a sticky mid-season patch, and will look to push their teammates and boost their respective team’s constructor’s battle-
but also in the race against each other for third.
Ferrari and McLaren continue battle
for third
Further
down the field Ferrari will hope to extend their surprising 31.5 point lead
over McLaren in the battle for third in the constructor’s standings.
A
run of incredibly consistent performances from Charles Leclerc and Carlos
Sainz - who has achieved 12 points finishes in a row - means the Italian constructor has a
significant lead over McLaren, who have faltered in recent races.
Norris
hasn’t looked the same since his Sochi capitulation and could only manage
tenth-placed finishes in
Mexico and Brazil while Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th in Mexico and retired last weekend.
McLaren
will be desperate for a strong weekend to make up ground, while Norris will
want a strong performance to keep his run in the driver’s standings going.
He was sat in third, only to be overhauled by Bottas and Perez and now has Leclerc and Sainz hot on his heels
in the battle for fifth.
