Rush finale. In Qatar the penultimate race of the World Championship season with the sixth and final sprint of the year: a weekend that offers up to 59 points for the Builders title. It will be a close battle at the top. McLaren leads the team standings with 608 pointsonly 24 ahead of Ferrari (584). Even Red Bull, mathematically, is still in the running (it has 555 points), even if the chances for the blue ones seem reduced as they actually have to fight only with Max Verstappenwho became world champion for the fourth time last week in vegas. His teammate, Sergio Perez, is not very productive: he has only gained 2 points in the last three races.
F1, Qatar GP: where to watch it live on TV and streaming
by Antonio Farinola
What is needed for the constructors’ title
The points up for grabs for the World Manufacturers’ Championship they are 103: 88 in the GPs (44 for each race with a double plus fastest lap) and 15 from the Sprint Race (also obtainable in this case with a double). If at Losail McLaren earns 20 points on Ferrari it will mathematically win the title. At the moment McLaren and Ferrari have the same number of victories (5) and in the event of a tie for the title assignment we would look at second places, where the balance is in favor of the British.
The circuit
Asphalt completely redone last year in Losail, where it will be raced from 2021 (Lewis Hamilton won). It is the third edition of the GP (skipped in 2022). There have been many changes to the escape routes and especially to the curbs which have been lowered given that they created many problems last year. Long straights, fast corners and changes in gradient that stress the tires due to lateral loads. 5,419 meters long, it has 16 curves (10 on the right and 6 on the left). The longest straight is 1068 meters and is followed by a technically difficult braking section which leads to a streamlined section. The hairpin of number 6 is the slowest point and launches towards the most technical part of the track. Only one area where you can operate the mobile wing. There will be 57 laps in Sunday’s race which will take place at night (at 5pm Italian time).
McLaren favourites, Ferrari tries
On a track made up of sequences of curves at medium and high speed, even up to 200/250 km/h, and which rewards aerodynamic load and stability during travel, the McLaren is favored. Last year Oscar Piastri won the sprint with Norris 3rd, in the GP both papayas finished on the podium (Piastri 2nd and Norris 3rd) beaten only by Verstappen. To close the World Championship in Losail, McLaren would have to finish the weekend with a margin of 45 points over Ferrari, i.e. gain 21 points between the 100 km and the GP. With a double in both races and fastest lap on Sunday, he would be world champion, a goal he hasn’t reached since 1998. The fact is that McLaren is not from Singapore and in the last four events it has scored 92 points against 143 for Ferrari (the Mercedes 96, Red Bull 80). Maranello, which was hoping for an en-plein in Nevada a week ago, with the 3rd and 4th places of Sainz and Leclerc, still managed to gain 12 points on the McLarens and will try, on an unfavorable circuit, to maximize the opportunities. Ferrari hasn’t won the Constructors’ Championship since 2008. It will be necessary to find unity even among the red drivers after the disagreements that arose in the race between Sainz and Leclerc.
The program
Times and TV (live on Sky Sport F1)
Friday 29 November
2.30 pm: free practice 1
6.30pm: Sprint qualifications
Saturday 30
Ore 15: Sprint
7pm: Qualifying
Sunday 1st December
5pm: Race
#Qatar #circuit #fight #constructors #championship #McLaren #Ferrari
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