Weekly News Roundup & Qatar Grand Prix Preview - 10/6/2023

Happy Friday, Friends! F1 returns to Qatar for only the second time in what is sure to be an exciting weekend - just a reminder that quali is happening today due to the sprint weekend format. For a refresher on the sprint format, check out this article.

Let’s try to ignore the fact that Max is going to secure the title after he wins the sprint race on Saturday and enjoy the weekend, sound good? Great! Then let’s get into it!

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News Roundup

• Yeehaw! Andretti’s bid to enter F1 has been approved

  • As the “rumors” suggested, the Andretti-Cadillac pairing proved their worth during the second phase of the FIA approval process.

  • Another American team (Yes, Haas is an American team) would be a welcome sight to many fans for multiple reasons, but the question remains whether an 11th team on the grid would be financially beneficial enough for other teams to justify their support.

  • The Andretti application will now move on to phase 3, where Liberty Media will conduct “commercial discussions,” likely meaning they want to better understand the financial viability of the opportunity.

• Ricciardo set to delay F1 return to United States GP

  • Danny Ric will not be returning in the AT04 this weekend as he continues to recover from his wrist injury resulting from his crash in Zandvoort.

  • Liam Lawson, after finding out via a facetime from Ricciardo, will continue his temporary role alongside Tsunoda this weekend.

  • The announcement of Ricciardo and Tsunoda retaining their seats with AT next year has given the Aussie some breathing room to fully recover and make his big return at his favorite race of the year in Austin.

• Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman to make F1 race weekend debut with Haas FP1 outings

  • At just 18 years old, Bearman will be one of the youngest (Verstappen was 17, Norris was 19) to drive an F1 car during a race weekend. The young British driver has won four races as a rookie in F2 this season.

Track Preview: Lusail International Circuit

The Lusail International Circuit is 5.4 kilometers long and built with multiple medium-to-high speed corners favoring a similar style as Suzuka.

The track was originally built for Moto GP back in 2004, evidenced by its fast-flowing turns and shorter straights. This is going to make it a little more difficult for drivers to overtake with only one true opportunity in the DRS zone on the main straight. However, turns 1-4 may give us some action if drivers get aggressive coming off the long straight.

The main concern for drivers will be the aggressive kerbs that caused punctures for Bottas, Russell, Norris and Latifi in 2021. With wider cars than 2021, and teams (like Haas) that have struggled with grip throughout the season, this may prove to be a challenge if any drivers push their tyres to the end of the pit window. Pirelli has selected the C1, C2 and C3 compounds this weekend to give drivers a chance to combat the high degradation from the speedy corners and high temperatures.

Keep an eye out for action in turns 1-4 this weekend - the drivers tended to be the most aggressive in this first sector last year with multiple wheel to wheel battles. Limited opportunities to pass in the second and third sectors will likely result in some great scraps in the early turns.

For a great track preview video, check out former champion Nico Rosberg’s Qatar GP simulator run here.

Race Preview: Qatar Grand Prix

When I saw the Qatar Grand Prix as the next race on the calendar, the first thought that came to my mind was “tell Esteban to defend like a lion!”

Everything went according to El Plan for Fernando Alonso last year when the Spaniard made his return to the podium after pulling off a risky one-stop strategy.

Lewis finished first in the only other time Formula 1 has raced in Qatar, with Max coming in second. And… well… you all know what happened with the rest of the season.

The Lusail circuit is sure to bring us another exciting race this year despite the championship being decided early. The medium and high speed corners, paired with the fact that teams only get one practice session at a relatively new track will certainly add to the drama. Here’s what I’m expecting:

1. 3-peat for Verstappen. This is an obvious one, but expect to see Max crowned as champion after the sprint race on Saturday. The reigning champ only needs three points this weekend to secure the title.

2. McLaren to continue podium streak. Expect to see Lando next to Max this weekend for a third straight P2. Oscar will likely have a strong weekend despite this being his first time at Qatar (there are seven first timers this year), but I expect he may run into some trouble fighting against the rising Ferrari team.

3. Ferrari to edge out Mercedes on points again. Well tifosi… who would’ve thought we’d be here? Not me. I fully expect to see a hard fought battle for second place as the season closes out.

4. Aston Martin struggles continue. I know I was wrong about Alonso last time, but the guy has been spectacular this season (especially compared to his teammate). Expect at least one Aston Martin in the points (you know who), but not likely competing with the likes of Mercedes, McLaren, or Ferrari.

5. Williams back in form and fighting with Alpine. Expect to see Albon back to his ways of holding up a DRS train this weekend as Williams hope for a better result than their double DNF two weekends ago. Logan Sargeant remains in the hot seat as his place is not yet secure for next season. I also expect to see Alpine in the mix here after they rounded out the points places in Japan. Let’s hope for some action between these two teams in turns 1-4.

6. Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romeo, and Haas to have an uneventful weekend. With AT and AR in mediocre cars, I don’t expect much out of their drivers this weekend. This track is more similar to Suzuka than Marina Bay, so no surprises expected from the bottom teams. Haas will likely continue to struggle with tyre degradation at Lusail, and will be looking forward to new upgrades in Austin in two weeks.

Way too Early Bold Predictions

Quali

1. VER

2. NOR

3. LEC

Sprint

1. VER

2. SAI

3. NOR

Race

1. VER

2. NOR

3. HAM

Max’s return to dominance in Japan made it clear that nobody is going to touch the champ this year. With that being said, I think we can expect Lando Norris to make a strong attempt in his McLaren this weekend and continue his podium streak.

Throwing a wrench in there with Carlos securing P2 in the sprint shootout and holding that position for the sprint race. I have a good feeling the Smooth Operator will continue his strong sprint performance this weekend with a solid race, but ultimately will fall short to McLaren on Friday and Sunday.

It’s a repeat of Silverstone on the podium this weekend at a track that is vaguely similar. Let’s see if I can continue my perfect record of podium predictions…

Social Media Post of the Week

I always get excited reading about the future of F1, and this tweet on the 2026 regulations update provides some great information on what is to come. Smaller cars, less downforce, and back to smaller wheels? Get ready for some high speeds and quick pit stops!

Thanks for reading The Grandstand Gazette! As always, I hope you enjoy the race this weekend! If you want a chance at naming this Monday’s newsletter, send me your race review thoughts on Sunday with a catchy/funny/relevant phrase that will be considered for the name. If you’d like, we will also give you a shoutout as the winner. Just drop us a note with your name and state/country of residence (it can be fake, or you can remain anonymous).

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