Will Max Verstappen Seal his Third World Drivers’ Championship in the Qatar Sprint?
It’s safe to say that Max Verstappen has dominated the 2023 Formula 1 Season and he now only needs 3 points for the rest of the season to become World Champion (Sergio Perez would also need to score maximum points every weekend). Whilst that doesn’t sound particularly exciting, the intriguing part comes with the fact that the Sprint format returns this weekend in Qatar, and if Max was able to finish 6th or higher in the Sprint, he would become a 3-time World Champion. Anything less than a Top 3 finish in the Sprint for his Red Bull teammate Checo Perez would also be enough to clinch the title no matter what happens to Verstappen. Personally, I have no problem with Max sealing the Championship on a Saturday, especially as he’s dominated the season as much as he has.
Can Alpine have a Stronger Weekend than in Previous Rounds?
Alpine have definitely been one of the more disappointing teams in 2023 as they sit 6th in the Constructors’ Championship with only 84 points. Alpine have scored two Podiums this year (one for both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly) as well as a Podium for Gasly in the Belgian Sprint, but other than that (and Singapore), they’ve tended to have pretty mediocre weekends where they either fail to score any points or they come home in around 8th to 10th place. However, in the one and only Qatar Grand Prix back in 2021, Alpine had a really strong weekend which resulted in Fernando Alonso getting a Podium for them whilst Esteban Ocon finished 5th. Boy could Alpine do with a result like that right now!
Can Liam Lawson Impress for one last Time?
Liam Lawson has been driving superbly well for Alpha Tauri since he substituted in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo at Zandvoort. Liam has beaten his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in all four races since they’ve been partnered up and Lawson also achieved Alpha Tauri’s best result of the season with a 9th place finish back in Singapore. However, it does look like Liam’s time with Alpha Tauri (for now) is coming to an end as it seems like Daniel Ricciardo is going to return for the United States Grand Prix in two weeks' time. Because of this, I’m really intrigued to see if Lawson can make it 5-0 against Tsunoda to cap off what’s been a fantastic run in the team over the past month and a bit.
Lance Stroll has to have a Strong Weekend!
Lance Stroll has struggled a lot since Formula 1 returned after the Summer Break and he’s failed to pick up a single point in that period. Whilst Lance was slightly unfortunate in Zandvoort and Suzuka, he was massively slow at Monza whilst he was unable to race at Singapore due to wrecking his car (and sustaining an injury) in Qualifying. It’s gotten to the point where it’s not just important for Stroll to pick up a result for his confidence, it’s gotten to the point where he needs to pick up results if Aston Martin are going to finish ahead of McLaren in the fight for 4th in the Constructors’ Championship. A positive for Lance (though) is the fact that he drove a super race back at Losail in 2021 (he finished P6) so he’ll be hoping for more of the same in 2023.
Can Charles Leclerc make it 4 Podiums out of 4 on Sprint Weekends?
Charles Leclerc isn’t having the best of seasons at the moment as he currently sits 6th in the Drivers’ Championship and more importantly, behind his teammate Carlos Sainz (by 15 points). It’s also worth mentioning that Charles has only finished on the Podium three times this season and funnily enough, they’ve all come on Sprint Weekends. Given that formula and the fact that Leclerc has finished 4th in each of the last 3 races gives me a feeling that the Monegasque driver may well find himself with another trophy come Sunday night.
My Predictions for Losail Qualifying
Max Verstappen
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
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