After a 10-minute Practice Session, it was time to determine the grid for this evening’s Qatar Sprint.
SQ1
In Sprint Qualifying 1; Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, Kevin Magnussen, and Logan Sargeant were the five slowest drivers. Lance Stroll’s terrible run of results in Qualifying continued whilst Alex Albon could only manage a disappointing 17th for Williams. Yuki Tsunoda will also be disappointed after a poor Sprint Shootout whilst Kevin Magnussen performed at his usual standards. Logan Sargeant ended up the slowest in Qualifying today as the American driver failed to get a competitive lap on the board.
SQ2
In Sprint Qualifying 2; Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Liam Lawson, and Zhou Guanyu all failed to make it into the Top 10 shootout. Pierre Gasly will be slightly disappointed to have missed out on an SQ3 appearance after showing good pace all weekend, but he won’t be as disappointed as Lewis Hamilton who’s struggled again in Sprint Qualifying. Valtteri Bottas got the maximum out of his Alfa Romeo to take P13 whilst both Liam Lawson and Zhou Guanyu didn’t get a particularly competitive lap time on the board.
SQ3
In Sprint Qualifying 3; Oscar Piastri pulled out a super 1:24.454 lap time to take a stunning Sprint Shootout Pole. Some drivers just have a knack for being at the front of the field, and it’s clear that Oscar Piastri is one of those drivers. Lando Norris completed a McLaren 1-2 in Sprint Quali, but he’ll be really disappointed as a mistake in the final corner cost him dearly. Max Verstappen will start his potential Championship-sealing Sprint from third whilst George Russell pulled out another good performance to qualify P4. Carlos Sainz outqualified teammate Charles Leclerc for a Ferrari third row whilst Nico Hulkenberg pulled out a super performance to qualify in the Top 7. Sergio Perez will start today’s Sprint in P8 after being well over 7 tenths behind his teammate whilst neither Fernando Alonso nor Esteban Ocon were able to get a lap time on the board.
Starting Grid for the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint and My Sprint Shootout Grades
Oscar Piastri: 10
Lando Norris: 8
Max Verstappen: 8
George Russell: 8
Carlos Sainz: 7
Charles Leclerc: 6
Nico Hulkenberg: 10
Sergio Perez: 3
Fernando Alonso: 5
Esteban Ocon: 6
Pierre Gasly: 5
Lewis Hamilton: 3
Valtteri Bottas: 6
Liam Lawson: 5
Zhou Guanyu: 4
Lance Stroll: 1
Alex Albon: 2
Yuki Tsunoda: 1
Kevin Magnussen: 1
Logan Sargeant: 1
My Predictions for the 2023 Qatar Sprint
Max Verstappen
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
George Russell
Sergio Perez
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