Formula 1 – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Norris claims Qatar Sprint pole ahead of Russell

Lando Norris will start from pole alongside George Russell for the Qatar Sprint race after a tight qualifying session in Lusail. In a session during which most drivers set two flying laps on soft tires, Norris had to rely on just one after he …

Lando Norris will start from pole alongside George Russell for the Qatar Sprint race after a tight qualifying session in Lusail.

In a session during which most drivers set two flying laps on soft tires, Norris had to rely on just one after he spoiled his second attempt with a scrappy first sector. It left him vulnerable to McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who started his second tour with a purple first sector but faded over the lap.

Russell then emerged as his closest challenger, and from pit lane Norris watched the Mercedes driver set three personal best sectors but fall just 0.063s short. Norris thus scraped through for his second Sprint pole of the year following his P1 start in China.

“It’s tough because it’s so quick around here,” he said. “It feels like the quickest circuit of the year — the finals sector feels like you’re just hanging on. Great qualifying today, especially to bounce back from where we were last time out in Vegas, it was a nice thing to do.

“It was a decent lap. I made too many mistakes on my second, but we came here to get pole and we did that, so job done for today.”

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Russell’s front-row start matches his best Sprint qualifying result of the year following his front-row start at Circuit of The Americas.

Piastri, last year’s Qatar Sprint pole-getter and winner, will line up third after lapping 0.159s slower than his teammate.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were closely matched just over 0.25s off pole, the Ferrari cars fading the longer qualifying continued after topping practice earlier in the day.

Max Verstappen will line up sixth ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.

Pierre Gasly lad the three-car gaggle of midfielders inside the top 10, beating Nico Hulkenberg by 0.11s. Liam Lawson qualified 10th, losing a place after having his fastest time deleted for exceeding track limits.

Fernando Alonso will start the Sprint 11th ahead of Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen in the Dane’s Sprint qualifying comeback after missing the Sao Paulo weekend due to illness.

Sergio Perez was the first driver eliminated in SQ1, taking 16th place on the grid. It’s the Mexican’s first bottom-five qualification for a Sprint this year, though he’s been knocked out of Q3 twice in the last three grands prix.

Perez’s 0.013s margin to 15th is at least partly down to a strange run-in with Leclerc on his final flying lap. The two drivers powered down the front straight side by side both attempting to set a fast lap, with Leclerc attempting to overtake him down the inside of the first turn. Perez was pushed wide before Leclerc relented and abandoned his lap, leaving the Red Bull driver with a first sector 0.115s slower than his personal best.

Yuki Tsunoda was a frustrated 17th, unhappy with RB’s run plan, ahead of Esteban Ocon, who isn’t running Alpine’s new front wing for a lack of spares.

Zhou Guanyu qualified 19th ahead of Williams rookie Franco Colapinto.

Technical updates: 2024 Qatar Grand Prix

Only two teams have brought upgrades to the Qatar Grand Prix as Formula 1 enters the final two rounds of the season. Qatar is the second of three consecutive race weekends and also a Sprint event that tends to limit the number of updates introduced. …

Only two teams have brought upgrades to the Qatar Grand Prix as Formula 1 enters the final two rounds of the season.

Qatar is the second of three consecutive race weekends and also a Sprint event that tends to limit the number of updates introduced. With just one practice session before Sprint qualifying later on Friday night, the majority of teams are sticking with their existing car designs, with the main development focus now on 2025.

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Alpine is one of the two teams to deliver new parts in Qatar, with a focus on the front end of the car. A new front wing features reprofiled elements that the team says are focused mainly inboard and “offers a better flow management as well as local load gains through the car operating envelope.”

There’s also a new nose from Alpine that is shorter than its previous design to work in conjunction with the new front wing, that features a detached first element that is no longer in contact with the nose.

The only other upgrade comes from Stake Sauber, and is also a front wing tweak. The team says it is a trimmed-down version of the current front wing design, that gives it a wider balance range that it can work within.

Qatar secures stake in Audi F1 team

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has acquired a “significant minority stake” in Sauber Holding AG, the future Audi Formula 1 team. QIA is already a stakeholder in the Volkswagen Group – Audi’s parent company – and will provide a substantial …

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has acquired a “significant minority stake” in Sauber Holding AG, the future Audi Formula 1 team.

QIA is already a stakeholder in the Volkswagen Group – Audi’s parent company – and will provide a substantial capital injection that Audi said will allow the team to increase infrastructure and recruitment. The deal will be complete by the end of the second quarter in 2025, once Audi has completed its 100% takeover of Sauber in January. QIA will take a seat on the board.

“The investment by QIA reflects the trust and confidence the Audi F1 Project has already garnered, underscoring unwavering commitment of Audi to the initiative,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said. “This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy. QIA’s involvement further energizes the dedicated efforts at both the Hinwil and Neuburg facilities as they work towards the entry of Audi in 2026.”

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Döllner also denied there was any threat to the project if Audi had not secured outside investment as it continues to work on its arrival in just over a year’s time.

“No, I wouldn’t say in danger, but when we reviewed it and made the plan to think bigger, bringing in a partner was part of that strategy,” he said. “So without a partner, I would not have been able to set the project up as we did it. The decision was taken one year ago.

“Now, step by step, we first took over 100%, then brought in Mattia [Binotto] and Jonathan [Wheatley], who will join next year. So step by step, the plan becomes visible.

“What we do today, bringing in this strong partner, is a model a lot of other teams have. And it’s, from our perspective, a necessary step to become one of the top teams in the future.”

Audi’s announcement follows news surrounding a General Motors entry that involves billionaire Mark Walter. No additional partners have been announced for that project at this point, but Döllner doesn’t believe it would be impossible for a car manufacturer to go it alone in F1.

“I wouldn’t say so,” he said. “An OEM could go it by himself, but I would say it’s a more intelligent way to do it with strong partners, and if you look at the other teams, that’s quite a success factor to go in a set-up that we’ve also chosen today.

“No plans yet [for further partners]. It’s an option we do have, but we haven’t started the process. For today, we are really happy to have, with QIA, this strong partner on board.

Leclerc leads Norris in Qatar GP practice

Charles Leclerc beat Lando Norris to top spot in an intriguing practice hour at the Qatar Grand Prix. The sole practice session got underway at sunset in Lusail, with Ferrari tipped to struggle relative to the other top teams around the circuit’s …

Charles Leclerc beat Lando Norris to top spot in an intriguing practice hour at the Qatar Grand Prix.

The sole practice session got underway at sunset in Lusail, with Ferrari tipped to struggle relative to the other top teams around the circuit’s high-speed swoops after the Italian team opted to run an alternative program: Whereas the bulk of the field burned up a set of medium tires to simulate race pace, both Ferrari drivers used up on of their two sets of hard tires in a competitive stint that saw Carlos Sainz and Leclerc top the order.

The switch to soft tires in the final 10 minutes revealed that pace to be genuine, at least in practice trim. Leclerc set two flying laps good enough for top spot, finding enough grip on the evolving circuit to put himself 0.136s and then a whopping 0.435s ahead of McLaren’s Norris by the end of the session, including the fastest time in the final sector.

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Norris was fastest in the first sector, but by less than 0.1s, and he shipped significant time to the scarlet car around the rest of the lap. However, he set only one flying lap on the soft rubber before switching back to mediums to conclude the hour.

Norris was shadowed closely by teammate Oscar Piastri, who was just 0.047s further back despite losing time dropping two wheels into the gravel at Turn 6. Both McLaren drivers struggled throughout the session to keep their cars on track on a windy evening on the Persian Gulf.

Sainz complete the top four, though he was 0.582s slower than his teammate after his two flying laps. McLaren leads Ferrari by 24 points at the top of the constructors’ championship.

There was a big gap behind the top two teams, with Yuki Tsunoda 1.092s off the pace in fifth for RB ahead of a surprise top-six inclusion for Stake Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, who ended the hour with the fastest time in the middle sector on a lap after the checkered flag. He displaced Lance Stroll, George Russell, Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton to the bottom of the top 10.

Max Verstappen was 0.025s outside the top 10 despite getting in a clean lap on softs. He was only 0.014s quicker faster than Fernando Alonso, with Nico Hulkenberg completing a tightly packed nine-car group by being just 0.2s slower than Tsunoda.

Liam Lawson was 14th ahead of Pierre Gasly, the Alpine driver setting his quickest lap on medium tires, Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu and Sergio Perez, who was 2.086s off the pace and 0.826s slower than Verstappen.

Franco Colapinto was 19th ahead of Esteban Ocon, who also set his fastest lap on mediums after having lost around half the session in his garage with a mechanical problem at the front of his car.

Why is F1 suddenly OK with GM’s F1 project?

For so long, the messages were mixed. Formula 1 turned down the Andretti Global project’s bid to join the 2026 grid back in January, and it was not a decision that came as a surprise to anyone within the paddock, or many outside it. CEO Stefano …

For so long, the messages were mixed.

Formula 1 turned down the Andretti Global project’s bid to join the 2026 grid back in January, and it was not a decision that came as a surprise to anyone within the paddock, or many outside it.

CEO Stefano Domenicali and company had made clear that they felt 10 teams was the right number for the sport at this stage, but that there were enticing elements to the entry that had been lodged. The involvement of General Motors certainly caught the eye of both F1 and the rest of the teams, with Williams team principal James Vowles almost going as far as saying the team shouldn’t be allowed in but he’d like the GM partnership for himself.

But it was the level of that involvement, and the uncertainty regarding its future plans, that played a part in the Andretti Global bid being knocked back at the time. F1 made clear that the door wasn’t closed and that 2028 could well be an option, because at that stage GM was suggesting it would produce its own power unit.

The original entry involved Andretti wanting to use a Renault power unit supply in a partnership that could well have become long-term had GM decided against investing in its own F1 engine department. The idea of re-badging such an engine as a Cadillac did not sit well, even if F1 was not aware that Renault’s future participation could be in doubt.

A touch of skepticism over how serious the GM involvement would be was somewhat understandable, given the recent arrival of Ford in partnership with Red Bull. Christian Horner’s team has welcomed Ford support but been very specific about where it might want help, and is determined to do the majority of the power unit work itself.

To call it solely a sponsorship deal would be unfair, but it’s certainly not a Ford power unit being developed and does not represent a commitment you could guarantee will still be made in five years’ time.

The idea that GM would build its own power unit was an attractive one, but what was to stop it saying it intended to — in order to help get the entry confirmed — and then exploring customer deals in the longer term? That would have resulted in Andretti Global holding a prize asset in terms of the value of the 11th team, at a much lower investment than if there was a power unit project too.

None of that is to say it was ever the intention to pull such a move, but they were the scenarios that F1 was having to consider if it were going to expand the grid. Because F1 is big business, and while the existing teams were thinking with their selfish business hats on and not wanting to divide up the revenues 11 ways over 10, so too the Andretti Global bid — along with the others that made submissions to the FIA — was grounded in being financially viable and lucrative.

That remains the case with GM’s entry now, of course, but it holds greater value to the sport itself, too. Attracting the largest car manufacturer in the world to enter a works team — as opposed to supporting an independent racing team’s entry — is a significant difference.

F1’s initial rejection of the then-Andretti Cadillac F1 team was widely painted as a rejection of Michael Andretti; however, those with inside knowledge of the deal insist this is not the case. Motorsport Images

As brutal as it is to say, the Andretti name, as iconic as it is in North America and among global racing fans, does not have the same level of recognition around the world as General Motors or Cadillac.

What is likely to be a Ferrari power unit deal (although Honda is a fallback through the mandatory supply rules) will not be a re-badging, something F1 also deems important.

But in reality, very little has changed. The people behind the project are the same, even if the CEO of Andretti Global — Michael Andretti — has gone. Sources insist there was never anything personal against Michael and there were no suggestions he should not be involved in the bid, but one of the financiers, Dan Towriss, is now overseeing all of TWG Global’s motorsport activities that also include Wayne Taylor Racing and Spire Motorsports.

That’s a decision that was made by Towriss, GM and you’d very much imagine Mark Walter, who brings huge sporting ownership experience and even bigger funding. But the technical setup is the same one that was approved by the FIA, with the same facilities and current personnel.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into potential anti-competitive practices clearly focused minds at F1, although it must be said it could have waited to see what the outcome was if it truly didn’t want an 11th team. Instead it pushed for it to be its ideal setup, and confirm the arrival of an extra power unit manufacturer to the grid after the departure of Renault.

There’s another aspect that hasn’t changed, either. And that’s that there still isn’t actually an entry for the Cadillac team…

Confirmation has to come from the FIA, and you’d expect that to be a formality. But while the new team is kept waiting, it is not privy to things like Pirelli tire data and open-source materials because it is not yet an entrant.

At this point, what was already a strong bid now has even greater global clout, but includes the same team waiting to be given the final green light to start work as a proper F1 entrant.

Barring something extremely dramatic, this week’s announcement marked the no-going-back point from F1, even if it still has to iron out anti-dilution fees and certain logistics. But it was not the final approval, and so remains a situation where there’s a sense of limbo.

In that regard, while there has been a clear step forward and GM/Cadillac is coming to F1, some of the messages still remain mixed.

Mayer hits out at Ben Sulayem after becoming latest FIA sacking

The organizer of FIA world championships in the United States and senior steward Tim Mayer has hit out at Mohammed Ben Sulayem after becoming the latest high-profile figure to be fired by the governing body. Mayer (pictured above) has told the BBC …

Mayer (pictured above) has told the BBC he was fired by text message by one of the president’s assistants after having to represent the United States Grand Prix race organizers in a recent right of review. The successful appeal centered on the language used to describe the nature of the infringement at Circuit of The Americas, where a post-race track invasion started before all cars were back in the pits last month.

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“The official reason that will be given is they felt there was a conflict of interest with the FIA as I had led the right of review in my role as organizer,” Mayer told the BBC. “But that is not why I was fired. Being an organizer is a role that I have fulfilled, benefiting the FIA, for over 12 years. This isn’t new.

“In spite of the matter being resolved quietly and amicably, he’s [Ben Sulayem] still upset and decided to fire me. After 15 years of volunteering my time as a steward, a decade teaching other stewards and hundreds of hours volunteering in other roles, I got a text from one of his assistants.”

It’s not just Mayer who is leaving. Formula 2 deputy race director Janette Tan is also departing at a time when she was supposed to step up to the F2 race director role in place of newly appointed F1 race director Rui Marques. It is understood that Marques will now fulfill the duties for F1, F2 and F1 Academy this weekend in Qatar.

“She is the epitome of the type of person we want working for the FIA, the best of the next generation of race directors,” said Mayer. “I don’t know the circumstances, but one would think they would work very hard to keep someone of her character.

“I know how hard both of those jobs are. I like Rui a lot, but it will put him under incredible pressure. There aren’t a lot of ‘platinum-level’ FIA race directors, which is the FIA’s highest level certification. I’m one of them. It’s a lot of work and, if you are doing the job right, you wake up every day with an ulcer thinking of all the various things you need to be thinking about.

“They’re not doing themselves any favors. They are literally running out of people to do those jobs.”

Mayer and Tan follow former F1 race director Niels Wittich and compliance officer Paulo Basarri in having recently departed in the last few weeks, while CEO Natalie Robyn, sporting director Steve Nielsen, single-seater technical director Tim Goss and women in motorsport president Deborah Mayer have also all left within the past 12 months.

George Russell says the departures are worrying, and creating an unstable situation within the FIA that the drivers have concerns about.

“Just when we’ve asked for transparency and consistency, we’re getting rid of two highly important people in the governing body,” Russell said. “It’s gone full 360. We still don’t have any reasoning for Niels’ removal. I don’t think anybody was informed about Tim leaving. The first I heard about the new race director doing Formula 2 this weekend was through the media.

“Naturally in any organization, if you’ve got people leaving or change of personnel, it’s never going to be a stable environment. People have to learn the new rules and that’s very challenging for any team. It must be super challenging for everyone within the FIA right now. We’d love to get a little bit of clarity and understanding of what’s going on and who’s getting fired next.”

Norris refutes Verstappen’s McLaren claim: ‘He should start doing comedy’

Lando Norris has suggested Max Verstappen “should start doing comedy” after the newly crowned world champion said he would have won the title earlier in a McLaren. Verstappen secured his fourth drivers’ championship in a row in Las Vegas last …

Lando Norris has suggested Max Verstappen “should start doing comedy” after the newly crowned world champion said he would have won the title earlier in a McLaren.

Verstappen secured his fourth drivers’ championship in a row in Las Vegas last weekend, and when interviewed afterwards he said he thought he would have won the title even earlier in a McLaren this season, and similarly so in a Ferrari. However, Norris gave the idea short shrift when the comments were put to him ahead of this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, where McLaren can win the constructors’ title.

“He should start doing comedy or something,” Norris said. “He can say whatever he wants. Of course, I completely disagree, as I would. He’s good, but, yeah, it’s not true.”

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Despite disputing Verstappen’s claim, Norris said the fact that Sergio Perez hasn’t ever seriously challenged him doesn’t necessarily help the Dutchman’s chances.

“There’s pros and cons,” he said. “He has to do all his work on his own, which is hats off to him. He doesn’t have someone who’s pushing him; he doesn’t have someone who’s trying other things with the car and you can’t do A to B tests and things like that, because the data’s not as valuable when you don’t have someone who is performing at the same level.

“So there’s a lot of things that Max can do that are phenomenal. Driving at the level he does consistently without a teammate that can push him in any way certainly makes his life harder from that perspective. Also from a team perspective.

“But at the same time, there is no pressure — he doesn’t have to deal with trying to beat someone in his own team and that comes with some comfort. But they go together and in some ways I like having a bit of pressure because it makes me do a better job. I’m sure he’s going to say he doesn’t care, whoever his teammate is he’s not going to mind. There’s pros and cons of having a strong teammate and I hope at some point he has one that can challenge him a bit more.”

Norris believes Red Bull would have done the championship double if Perez was able to perform closer to Verstappen’s level, rather than opening the door for McLaren to be favorite with two races to go.

“Red Bull probably would have won the constructors’ if they had two drivers as good as Max, that’s for sure,” he said. “That’s clear. That’s obvious. It shows that as a team they’ve still probably done the best job.

“Max has proved with everybody that he’s gone up against, he’s beaten. That’s tough for any teammate. It’s got nothing to do with me. I don’t care. He can have any teammate he wants.”

Sainz dismisses talk of Leclerc fall-out

Carlos Sainz believes outsiders are not differentiating between his working relationship with Charles Leclerc and his personal one following comments the latter made at last week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. Leclerc was outspoken on team radio about …

Leclerc was outspoken on team radio about Sainz overtaking him after the final round of pit stops after having been told his teammate had been instructed not to put him under pressure. Sainz said such situations are normal for the pair, as their in-the-moment reactions come before they have a full understanding of the situation, and that the pair arrived in Qatar having already put the incident behind them.

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“It always happens with us,” Sainz said. “We go through some misunderstandings that in the heat of the moment (that) we obviously are quite vocal about and we feel very frustrated about. After a couple of days have gone by and you can see everything with a bit more perspective and give yourself a bit of time to analyze things, you realize that when you talk through things you can actually understand them and put them behind (you).

“That’s the exercise that we’ve been having to do for four years because we’re always sharing the same piece of tarmac and we’re always fighting each other on track because we’re driving the same car and we are equally on pace, and we’ve gone through this so often that we know how to talk and then move on from it.”

Sainz says outsiders should not judge their relationship from afar, insisting what happens on track has little impact on how well they get on with each other.

“I honestly keep seeing sometimes in social media that people believe it’s not true and it’s all PR, and honestly it disappoints me because people cannot sometimes understand that we have a professional relationship, and in that professional relationship we go through ups and downs and, as competitive as we are, there’re always going to have some issues on track,” he said.

“Because, again, if he would be P1 and I would be P8 or vice versa we would never have issues, but unfortunately, or let’s say fortunately for the team, we’re always in the same point on the track and we’re having our little issues here and there.

“But then we also have a personal relationship and as much as the professional one goes through ups and downs, the personal one, I can tell you, it’s always been really, really good. He’s one of those guys that I know that in the future when I’m not in Formula 1, I’ll look back and say I’m glad I met him and I’m glad I raced with him and I’m glad I can have a lot of good memories with him.

“In these four years in Ferrari I’ve enjoyed every single moment with him, even the tough ones, as much as they’ve been tough, I’m pretty sure in 20-30 years I’ll laugh about them and look back with being proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

Italian GP to stay at Monza until 2031

Formula 1 has announced the Italian Grand Prix will remain at Monza until at least the 2031 season. Monza’s previous contract was due to expire after next year’s race, but a new six-year extension has been agreed that will retain its place on the …

Formula 1 has announced the Italian Grand Prix will remain at Monza until at least the 2031 season.

Monza’s previous contract was due to expire after next year’s race, but a new six-year extension has been agreed that will retain its place on the calendar. F1 says the sport is seeing continued strong growth in Italy, citing a cumulative broadcast audience of 183.3 million in 2023, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says the passionate fan base is central to the sport.

“I am delighted that the Italian Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until 2031,” Domenicali said. “Monza is at the very heart of Formula 1 history and the atmosphere each year is unique as the Tifosi gather in huge numbers to cheer on Ferrari and the drivers.

“The recent upgrades to the circuit’s infrastructure and the planned investment show a strong commitment to the long-term future of Formula 1 in Italy, and I want to thank the president of the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI), the Italian Government, and the Lombardy Region for their continued passion and commitment to our sport. I also want to pay tribute to our incredible fans across the country who support Formula 1 so passionately.”

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ACI president Angelo Sticchi Damiani says the commitment to F1 was shown by recent remedial work, and that Monza will not only rely on its history to guarantee a place on the calendar.

“It’s a great honor for us, the Automobile Club of Italy, to have succeeded in guaranteeing the hosting of six more Italian Grand Prix F1 seasons at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza after 2025,” Sticchi Damiani said. “We must thank the valuable and decisive contribution of the current president and CEO of Formula 1 Group, Stefano Domenicali, who made this contract extension possible.

“Much as we should, certainly, thank the Italian Government, the Lombardy Region, and all the local institutions that have allowed the Italian Grand Prix to attract, during the last editions, an ever-increasing number of enthusiastic fans. In particular, I want to emphasize the key contribution of the Italian Government and the Lombardy Region, which have invested resources in this centenarian circuit and funded the works carried out this year.

“As we all know, Monza is the oldest racetrack in the world to host a race of the world championship, and it is also the longest-running event on the world championship calendar. We are all aware that history is no longer enough.

“Following the resurfacing of the track and underpasses to improve the safety on track and for the fans, we are now faced with a new challenge in 2025: improving the quality and quantity of hospitality offerings. With this goal in mind, we are already working to keep ahead of the standards required by modern Formula 1.”

Monza’s contract extension follows recent new deals for Monaco and Canada, that also came with date changes for those races.

Magnussen expects Qatar to be F1’s ‘hardest race of the year’

Kevin Magnussen says the Qatar Grand Prix is likely to be the hardest race of the year due to the nature of the circuit and potential weather conditions. Last year was Formula 1’s second visit to race in Qatar, but the first time with the new …

Kevin Magnussen says the Qatar Grand Prix is likely to be the hardest race of the year due to the nature of the circuit and potential weather conditions.

Last year was Formula 1’s second visit to race in Qatar, but the first time with the new generation of cars. The high-speed circuit is already a physical challenge but racing in October made for high temperatures and humidity that led to a number of drivers struggling to complete the race. This year the temperatures are set to be lower, but Magnussen says the schedule and track layout combine to really test the drivers.

“Qatar is the hardest race of the year, probably,” Magnussen said. “It’s super high-speed, and unique in the sense that it’s more like a motorbike track rather than a Formula 1 track. It’s got a very particular flow to it — you’re never really braking in a straight line, you’re more kind of sailing.

“It’s the final Sprint of the year, so that’s always another thing to think about, and the time zone change is going to be a challenge. Last year it was the opposite way around — we went from Qatar to America — and honestly it’s hard to figure it all out as it’s pretty hard to adjust. You can’t find a way around it, it just takes time, so we’re going to be jet-lagged!”

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Nico Hulkenberg’s performance coach Martin Poole admits there is little that can be done about the significant time zone swing, with the race at Lusail starting at 7pm local time — the equivalent of 8am at the last race venue in Las Vegas.

“Qatar is one of the most physically demanding tracks we visit,” Poole said. “The ambient temperature is very hot, which we saw last year, but as we’re returning a few weeks later hopefully it will be a bit cooler. It’s still going to pose a big physical challenge for the drivers; it’s physical anyway, but with the heat it’s very difficult.

“It’s going to be very important to stay very well hydrated and we’ll be using all the cooling methods that we have available to us, such as the traditional ice bath, iced towels, making sure he’s drinking lots of cool drinks and staying out of the heat whenever possible.

“Moving from Vegas to Qatar timing-wise will be difficult — there’s no easy way to do it so we’ll do the best job we can to get into a good sleep pattern as soon as we get to Qatar. Nico’s quite good at sleeping well and finding time in the day to nap if he needs to, so I’m sure we’ll get through it.”