Uncharted Losail track adds intrigue to title battle

The Losail International Circuit, which will host the inaugural Formula One Ooredoo Qatar Grand Prix this weekend, adds an interesting subplot to the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Verstappen leads Hamilton by 14 points after the Mercedes driver won the Brazilian Grand Prix in a dramatic fashion last weekend. With three rounds to go, Verstappen will be hoping he can stop Hamilton from winning his eighth world title, while also claiming his maiden championship.
While the two title contenders will be hatching a plot to keep each other at bay, both Hamilton and Verstappen will be wary of the beast that is Losail International Circuit.
A 5.380-kilometre layout, which was designed with motorbike racing in mind in 2004 – having hosted the season-opening MotoGP races since then – is still a still uncharted territory for the Formula One troupe.
Of those on the current grid, only Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez and Haas’ Nikita Mazepin have previously raced at the track, in GP2 Asia and the MRF Challenge respectively. While other drivers have turned to simulators, only after two practices sessions scheduled for today will they be able to get a taste of the track
A high downforce set-up and a series of quick sweeping corners will make it challenging and tough physically for the drivers. The rest of the lap is fast, flowing and dominated by medium and high-speed corners, making tyre degradation a key factor.
“I think it’s going to be a different track. Probably straight line speed is not so relevant over there, so hopefully we can be a lot more competitive. I think it’s a very high downforce track, very fast. And hopefully the main straight is not too long,” said Perez yesterday.
“I don’t really remember when I drove there, it was a long time ago. So I don’t think there is much of an advantage for me,” the Mexican added, while admitting he had little memory of his victory here in 2009.
McLaren’s Lando Norris said it was a ‘fun track’ while acknowledging the physical toll it would take on the drivers. “It’s a pretty fast track. Not many big braking zones or anything, so it’s probably going to be quite a physical one. I don’t know how the racing or anything is going to be, I’ve got no idea just yet. But quite a fun track from what it looks like,” said the Brit.
Despite the fast nature of the track, Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation’s executive director Amro Al-Hamad believes that the lack of track data and the flowing layout would create an exciting on-track spectacle. “Nobody has any data here, nobody drove here before, so that is going to add a lot,” Al-Hamad told Autosport.
“Every single minute in practice is going to make a difference because they still don’t know what type of set-up they need for all their chassis. The strategy is going to be completely different when it comes to tyre wear, because it’s a very fast track, or a flowing track with a couple of opportunities for overtaking.
“I know from a competitive driver point of view that there is a lot of overtaking that is going to be done, against all of the speculation that has been spread, that this is a straight-line kind of circuit, which it’s not. It’s very technical. It needs a lot of downforce. There are a lot of strategies that are going to be involved with the tyre wear here as well,” the QMMF official added.
While the teams and drivers would have a better idea of the track after the practice sessions today, there is a feeling in the paddock that the Losail circuit would favour Mercedes over the Red Bull, due to their faster starlight line speed.
The tyre management would be a key factor here with Pirelli choosing the three hardest tyre compounds in its range for this week’s race. The Italian tyre manufacturer said its existing data and simulations point to Losail being a high-severity circuit with very demanding corners – similar to Silverstone or Mugello – and quite aggressive asphalt, hence its hard rubber choice.