It’s the penultimate round of the 2025 Formula 1 Season, and the stakes have never been higher. Lando Norris is racing to claim the championship with one race weekend to spare. While Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, who are tied on points, are fighting to keep their championship dreams alive.
Championship battle
A dramatic end to the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix ended in another victory for Verstappen while it was a double disqualification for McLaren. Both Norris and Piastri suffered excessive wear on their skid blocks below the 9 mm regulatory limit. The disqualification, which strips them of their second and fourth respectively, brings Max Vertsappen back into equations for the championship.
Norris sits ahead on 290 points, while Piastri and Verstappen are on 266 points each. If Norris was to place sixth or above in the 2025 Qatar Sprint Race, a victory in the Feature Race would secure his championship before Abu Dhabi.
What to expect
While Norris had a dominant run, claiming victories in both Mexico and Brazil, it was Vertsappen who came out on top in the sin city. The Red Bull car had been dominant for most of the weekend, with Verstappen able to finish over 23 seconds clear of Russell in second.
From one desert to another, Formula 1 is back in Qatar for the final sprint weekend of the year. McLaren are hoping to get back on top, while Andrea Stella assures that they are not preferencing either driver. While Verstappen has won the past two races at the Lusail International Circuit, McLaren has also had some pace around the track.
Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
Oscar Piastri has won the past two sprint races in Qatar. With McLaren thriving on the higher downforce circuits, they are hoping to grab the maximum of 37 points available this weekend.
In the Constructors Championship, these final two races are crucial. Mercedes hold the advantage in the race for second, sitting 40 points up on Red Bull and a further 13 up on Ferrari. While in the midfield, just 22 points cover Racing Bulls in sixth to Kick Sauber in ninth.
Two Stop Enforcements
Qatar has become the second track this season to enforce two mandatory pit stops for all teams during Sunday’s race. Following the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, Pirelli analysed the wear levels of tyres. With most of the drivers choosing to go for a one stop strategy during the race most of the tyres were worn down.
As a result, Pirelli has applied a maximum stint length of 25 laps per set, which is cumulative over the race weekend. This means that all drivers will be forced to make a minimum of two pitstops during the 57 lap race.
However, this change benefits some drivers more than others. Verstappen will be the biggest winner from the change. While McLaren’s, who have shown amazing tyre management throughout the season will be at a disadvantage.
The Track
The Lusail International Circuit was built in preparation for hosting Qatar’s first ever MotoGP event in 2004. However, it wasn’t until 2021 when the circuit was called up into Formula 1.
The 5.4-kilometre circuit is filled with medium and high speed corners. While the main straight is over one kilometre in length, allowing for plenty of overtaking heading into turn 1. Norris holds the lap record in Qatar, which was set last year, with a 1:22.384.
Weather
While there was flash flooding in Las Vegas, there isn’t any rain expected at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. With temperatures expected to reach into the high twenties, It looks set to be another warm one this year.
However, the night race will allow for cooler conditions, with temperatures during the race expected to be around 22°C.
F1 Timings
F1 will be back on the Lusail International Circuit at Friday 28th of November, at 4:30pm local time (GMT+3) for the only practice session of the weekend. Sprint Qualifying will occur later into the night at 8:30pm.
On Saturday the 29th, on track action begins at 5pm for the last Sprint Race of the season. Qualifying will occur at 9pm, while it will be lights out for the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix race at 7pm track time.
Feature Image Credits: Red Bull Content Pool