2024 Qatar Grand Prix - Preview

Penultimate race of the 2024 season takes place at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.  

• Toto Talks Qatar
• Fact File: Qatar Grand Prix
• Stat Sheet: Qatar Grand Prix

Toto Talks Qatar

We’re looking forward to the penultimate race of the season in Qatar after our 1-2 finish in Las Vegas. The team did a great job across the three days in the United States. We were quick throughout and executed well on Saturday night. George controlled the race from pole position, drove superbly and had pace in hand to spare. Lewis meanwhile put in a stellar comeback from P10, cutting his way through the field to P2 to secure the top two steps of the podium for the team. A highlight result is exactly what we wanted at the end of the season, and it is well-deserved given the hard work and determination everyone has shown in the second half of the year.

The races in Las Vegas and Qatar couldn’t be more different. The Lusail International Circuit has many high-speed sections and few, if any, big braking zones. Despite going there later in the calendar than last year, it will still be very warm. That is in contrast to the cool conditions and many slow speed sections of Las Vegas. Nevertheless, we are aiming for another strong showing this weekend. The W15 has looked more at home at circuits with lots of high-speed corners, such as Silverstone or Spa. We certainly benefitted from the night-time cold in Las Vegas, but the layout in Qatar should be more favourable to the strengths of our car. We know our competitors will be stronger than they were last weekend, but we will be aiming to get the car in a good window once again and be in the fight at the front.

Fact File: Qatar Grand Prix

• Following F1's inaugural visit to the Lusail International Circuit back in 2021, the circuit was completely resurfaced ahead of its second race in 2023.
• A completely new pit and paddock complex was also constructed in the run up to last season’s race.
• This included larger pit garages, new team buildings, and new access tunnels.
• Temperatures during the day in Doha last year reached close to 40°C, and several drivers found the conditions incredibly tough, as the race was held earlier in the year in early October.     
• The track has a fast and flowing nature as it is predominantly used for motorcycle racing.
• There is only one corner, Turn Six, that sees the minimum speed drop below 100 km/h.
• There are therefore no heavy braking events for the cars to tackle, a unique occurrence on the 2024 calendar.
• While the braking energy requirement is low, there are still six braking events that the cars encounter across the lap.
• There are 16 corners in total: 10 to the right and six to the left. The track's main straight covers over 1km of the total lap distance and is the sole DRS zone on the circuit.
• The pit lane in Qatar is the third longest of any circuit we visit on the calendar, behind only Imola and Silverstone. It clocks in at 502 metres and the expected pit lane time is over 20 seconds.
• Lewis Hamilton won the first Qatar Grand Prix for Mercedes in 2021.
• This will be the second year in a row that the circuit has hosted an F1 Sprint Race weekend.

Stat Sheet: Qatar Grand Prix