The action at the Qatar Grand Prix begins on Friday 6 October, with the first practice session scheduled for 2.30pm BST ahead of qualifying for the main race on Sunday, which begins at 6pm.Ī sprint shootout at 2pm on Saturday then decides the grid for the sprint race, which starts at 6.30pm and could see Verstappen become world champion with six grand prix races still to go.įinally, the Qatar Grand Prix is set to start at 6pm on Sunday 8 October. Verstappen’s current points advantage over the rest of the field is 177, and he will win the title as long as that gap remains at 146 or more after this weekend. Verstappen no points, Perez outside top three: Verstappen wins title.Verstappen no points, Perez top three: Verstappen can win title on Sunday.Verstappen eighth and Perez misses the top two: Verstappen wins title.Verstappen seventh and Perez second: Verstappen wins title.Verstappen seventh and Perez wins: Verstappen can win title on Sunday.Verstappen finishes first through sixth: Verstappen wins title.Possible scenarios for Saturday’s sprint race In the second session McLaren’s Lando Norris was on top, just two-hundredths up on Verstappen with the Williams of Alex Albon in third and Hamilton in fourth.A top six finish for Verstappen in the sprint would seal the drivers championship regardless of where second-placed Perez ends up on Saturday evening, while a range of other scenarios could still see the Dutchman leave Qatar with his third world title. Verstappen was quickest in first practice on Friday, in front of Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, with Hamilton in third. Nobody 10 years ago even thought about a grand prix here, that we’re able to do that now is just fantastic.” “I think it’s just amazing that this is possible. “It’s just great, it doesn’t bring a weight on my shoulders of extra pressure,” he said.

Revered in the Netherlands like no other since perhaps Johan Cruyff, he carries the expectations of a nation with ease, even as he plays down how he has personally brought the magic back to the dunes beside the North Sea. Verstappen goes into his home race relaxed and confident as never before. Rain remains on the cards and the chasing pack hope it will narrow their gap but it is straw-clutching at best. There is no indication that he will not repeat the feat his weekend. Since the Dutch GP returned to the calendar in 2021 Verstappen has won from pole both times. “Of course it would be nice to see him battle for it a bit more but he proved when he raced against Lewis in 2021 what a fighter he is and what he can go up against,” Norris said. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For more information see our Privacy Policy. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. Now he is all but unchallenged it was a performance Norris believes cemented the Dutchman’s credentials. Verstappen was taken to the wire by Hamilton in the 2021 championship, a title he won in controversial circumstances at the season finale but having definitively made his case to be a worthy world champion over the season. He doesn’t need to have an eighth or a seventh or a sixth world championship to know that, he has proved it in the time he is here.” “He just wants to come in, prove he is the best and go home. “You are not ever going to have someone in F1 that can convincingly beat Max, it’s just not going to happen,” he said. His brilliant second place at Silverstone this year was further evidence of just how good he can be, yet he admitted that Verstappen remained an outlier that might not be matched. Norris is as competitive as both drivers and as an undoubted talent himself does not deliver accolades lightly. On Thursday in Zandvoort Lewis Hamilton conceded that Verstappen might yet win every race to come this season and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc warned that he might even be unassailable until the next regulation change in 2026. Photograph: Florent Gooden/DPPI/Shutterstock Lando Norris (left) and Max Verstappen are good friends.

Max verstappen formula 1