McLaren‘s Lando Norris cheekily admits he enjoys watching Formula 1 rivals Max Verstappen and George Russell amid their spiralling confrontation.

The squabble between Verstappen and Russell stems from the former impeding the latter during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix, whereby the Dutchman received a one-place grid drop.

Verstappen has doubled down on comments he made in Qatar, saying he has “lost all respect” for Russell, meanwhile, the Mercedes driver has claimed his Red Bull rival threatened to crash into him in Qatar.

Moreover, Russell said “To question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find it very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.”

READ MORE – Max Verstappen has ‘no regrets’ criticising George Russell’s ‘unacceptable’ behaviour in Qatar

Norris told select media including Motorsport Week on Thursday ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP that “I don’t know the details,” before pausing to clarify “actually I do know a lot of the details of what was said and what happened.”

This is unsurprising given Norris is close to both parties involved but he said the confrontation is “for them to squabble about and argue about.

“You have the two sides,” Norris added.

“You have the side of we’re paid to come here and to race and to perform well for our team In some ways, no matter what cost, you want to win and you want to give yourself the best opportunity.

“For George, that was by saying probably what he said and doing what he said.

“At times, you know, I think between drivers you have that amount of respect when something happens. You’re like, that’s racing or that’s just what happens sometimes and you don’t want either of them to get a penalty because it’s racing.

“It’s just a situation where no one should really get a penalty.

“Mercedes are not fighting for a championship or something like that. They’re kind of clinging on to a bit more than what Max is.

“So they’re going to do at what at all costs it takes to try and get a pole or try and get a win.

“So maybe he’s paid the price a little bit of that from an amount of respect for Max.

“Everyone does things their own way. Some fight harder for things, some fight less. But I enjoy watching them argue like they do.”

Norris takes no issue with Verstappen campaigning for his yellow flag penalty in Qatar

Norris was issued a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to observe double-waved yellow flags in the Qatar GP.

This was observed by Verstappen, who campaigned with his race engineer to ensure Norris was protested for the breach.

Asked if he took issue with the Dutchman’s actions, Norris revealed there was no ill feeling as he had clearly broken the rules.

“To be honest, I think every driver on the grid would do the same as what Max did,” Norris explained.

“That’s racing, you know, there’s the rules. Max could tell I didn’t obey the rules.

“I could have done, I still could have lifted and he just doesn’t know, but he’s thought of something and he said it.

“That’s completely fine by me.”

READ MORE – Lando Norris: Max Verstappen ‘should start comedy’ amid McLaren F1 title win claim

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Accusations continue to fly between Max Verstappen and George Russell with the Formula 1 World Champion calling his Mercedes counterpart a “backstabber” over their Qatar Grand Prix penalty row.

This story began with Verstappen seemingly impeding Russell during the latter’s out-lap in the Q3 top-10 shootout at the Lusail International Circuit.

Russell successfully campaigned to get Verstappen demoted one spot on the grid in Qatar through a stewards hearing in a manner which caused Verstappen to lose all respect for him.

Verstappen has remained firm on his stance, Christian Horner called Russell “hysterical” and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff responded by calling Red Bull’s Team Principal a “yapping little terrier.”

A thoroughly dramatic media day ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw Russell claim Verstappen threatened to crash into him in Qatar, saying “To question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find it very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.”

Speaking to the Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Verstappen responded to Russell’s claims, saying “That’s already not true, I didn’t say that. He’s trying to thicken it up again.

“You know what I also can’t stand? That he attacks me in an unacceptable way at the stewards and then comes running back a day later as if nothing is wrong and slaps me on the shoulders.

“Then I think: ‘stay away for a while.’ He makes up all kinds of things that aren’t true.

“With me you always get the same thing: here, at home, with the stewards; I don’t change. You can’t say that about everyone. But I’m not amazed by that with him.”

Verstappen rebukes Russell’s 2021 Abu Dhabi jibe

Russell’s scathing criticism of Verstappen saw him reference past F1 controversies at Abu Dhabi.

The Mercedes driver claimed had Verstappen been in Lewis Hamilton’s position in the 2021 season finale, then Race Director Michael Masi “would be fearing for his life.”

In addition, Russell said “people have been bullied by Max for years now.”

In response, Verstappen said Russell is “just a loser. He lies and pastes all kinds of things together that aren’t true.

“I only gave my opinion about his behavior with the stewards. He’s clearly not into that.

“What he said about 2021, that’s how it went down with the stewards. He insinuates a lot of things that don’t make sense.”

When told Russell was emotional during his media exchange on Thursday Verstappen said “It wasn’t that dramatic at the stewards last week.

“Maybe next time it will be, then I’ll bring tissues.”

READ MORE – George Russell: Masi would’ve been ‘fearing for his life’ had Max Verstappen endured Lewis Hamilton 2021 F1 title loss

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George Russell has revealed Max Verstappen threatened to crash into him due to his vexation at his rival’s role in him being penalised at Formula 1‘s Qatar Grand Prix.

Verstappen was incensed last weekend as he was stripped of pole position when the stewards determined that he had impeded Russell’s Mercedes during qualifying.

But the Dutchman was more irritated with Russell’s conduct, expressing he had “lost respect” towards the driver that he claimed lobbied the stewards to penalise him.

Verstappen has doubled down on those remarks at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, citing that he harbours “no regrets” about his comments and he “would have said more”.

However, Russell has branded Verstappen’s words as “disrespectful” as he labelled it “ironic” that his behaviour was being questioned based on the threat he received.

“I find it all quite ironic, considering Saturday night he said he’s going to purposely go out of his way to crash into me and, quote, ‘put me on my f***ing head in the wall’,” Russell told media including Motorsport Week.

“To question somebody’s integrity as a person, while saying comments like that the day before, I find it very ironic, and I’m not going to sit here and accept it.

“People have been bullied by Max for years now, and you can’t question his driving abilities. But he cannot deal with adversity whenever anything has gone against him.

“Jeddah ’21, Brazil ’21, he lashes out. Budapest this year, very first race, the car wasn’t dominant, crashing into Lewis [Hamilton], slamming his team.

“As I said, for me, those comments on Saturday night and Sunday were totally disrespectful and unnecessary, because what happens on track, we fight hard. It’s part of racing.

“What happens in the steward’s room? You fight hard, but it’s never personal. But you know, he’s taking it too far now.”

Asked whether he intended to speak with Verstappen, Russell replied: “I don’t need to talk to him at all. There’s nothing for me to say.”

Russell questions silence over Verstappen antics

Russell admitted he was bewildered that other drivers involved in clashes with Verstappen have not chosen to speak out about his approach to battling competitors.

“I just don’t know why other drivers have when they’ve been in this battle with him, just sort of made it so easy and just let it be,” he continued.

“Lewis is a World Champion who I aspire to be like, and I think he is a gold standard of a role model that younger kids should be looking up to.

“And the way Lewis dealt with that championship fight, he was hard, he was aggressive, he was always respectful, and he never went beyond the line.

“You can go beyond the line in making a slight misjudgement, but going out of your way to say you will purposefully crash into somebody and put them on their head is beyond the line.”

Pressed on his decision to speak out now with one race remaining in 2024, Russell replied: “Because he’s come out in the media. I feel he has disrespected me as a driver.

“I’ve known him for 12 years. We’ve had respect with one another beforehand.

“We’ve never had any collisions….but we’ve got a guy who’s on the top of this sport and who feels he’s above the law. I don’t think that’s right.

“I admire his on-track battles, and when he is hard and aggressive.

“But what we saw at the end of the season in ’21, or what we saw in Mexico with Lando [Norris], they weren’t hard, aggressive manoeuvres.

“They were do or die: ‘I’m willing to take this guy out.’ Which I don’t think is the way we should go racing.”

READ MORE – Max Verstappen has ‘no regrets’ criticising George Russell’s ‘unacceptable’ behaviour in Qatar

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Max Verstappen has “no regrets” criticising George Russell after their dispute over his Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix grid penalty, calling the Mercedes driver’s behaviour “unacceptable.”

Verstappen was observed driving slowly on his cool-down lap during qualifying at the Lusail International Circuit as he didn’t want to impede drivers ahead who were preparing to set a timed lap.

Russell, driving fast behind on his out-lap had to take evasive action and the incident was taken to a stewards’ hearing where Verstappen received an unprecedented one-place grid penalty.

The pair were observed arguing after the hearing and after the race the Dutchman said he’d “lost all respect” for Russell, claiming “I’ve never seen someone trying to screw someone over that hard” in a stewards meeting.

A week later, ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked if he had any regrets over his comments in Qatar.

“No, no regrets at all because I meant everything I said and it’s still the same,” the Dutchman said on Thursday.

“If I had to do it again, maybe I would have said even more knowing the outcome of the race results.

“I still can’t believe that someone can be like that in the stewards room. For me, that was so unacceptable because, I mean, we’re all racing drivers.

“We all have a lot of respect for each other. We even, play sports together, travel together and of course, you have moments where you get together, you crash or whatever, you’re not happy.

“In my whole career, I’ve never experienced what I have experienced in the stewards room in Qatar and for me, that was really unacceptable.”

Russell is a Director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and is a leading voice on driver concerns with F1 and the FIA, but Verstappen clarified that the ongoing spat “has nothing to do with him being the director of the GPDA.”

However, Verstappen revealed that he “never expected someone to really try and actively get someone a penalty that badly and lying about why I was doing what I was doing, but clearly it had an influence [on the stewards].

“Yeah, it was just really not nice and actually very shocking what was going on there.”

Verstappen: Russell driving in Qatar qualifying like ‘he almost killed himself’

Verstappen also went into detail about the circumstances from his perspective that led to the steward investigation in Qatar.

The Dutchman explained that by trying not to get himself in any trouble with the cars ahead, he landed himself in a world of bother with Russell behind.

Moreover, he added that the Mercedes driver was acting like “he almost killed himself or something.”

The Red Bull driver said: “I was just trying to be nice. Lando [Norris] passed me. He was on colder tyres because he only did a build. Or he had to abort his lap or whatever.

“So he passed me. ‘I was like, okay, whatever. I just back out. I don’t want to be in anyone’s way. You know, we’re anyway in Q3, just finding track position.

“Then I think Fernando [Alonso] came out of the pits with new tyres. I think it was quite clear that with the new tyres, you have to push quite hard on the out-lap to get temp. So out of Turn 10, I see him in the mirror flying. Okay, I’ll let him by.

“Then I just sort myself out. Then, of course, everything slowed up in front because there were quite a few cars. I slowed down as well because I don’t want to then speed up, try to ruin their preparation as well.

“Then I see someone flying in my mirror, acting like the most dangerous situation just happened. He almost killed himself or something. It was unbelievable.

“We’re all on a slow lap. It’s not even like someone was on a fast lap.

“So when I got called to the stewards, it was a big surprise to me because I didn’t really impede anyone.

“I think also on a slow lap, we all drive on our normal lines because we’re all trying not to pick up dirt anyway. It’s not necessary when everyone is driving slow.

“I don’t know how they came, of course, to that conclusion. It was, of course, for me very disappointing because basically by actually trying to stay out of trouble, you put yourself in trouble.

“Also, I think at that point of the season, almost the end of the season, I don’t want to be fighting with anyone. They come after me after qualifying, like, ‘why did you ruin my lap to start my lap? What are you doing?’

“So I’m like, I don’t want to put myself in that position. But basically, by doing that, I put myself in that position where I had to be going to the stewards.

“I felt straight away when I was in there, it was not going to go anywhere. So it was very weird.”

READ MORE – Max Verstappen ‘lost all respect’ for George Russell over F1 Qatar GP penalty

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On the latest episode of Motorsport Speak – the podcast by Motorsport Monday and Motorsport Week – Dan Lawrence and Jack Oliver Smith review the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull recovered from a difficult Sprint to victory in the main event at the Lusail International Circuit last weekend!

Dan and Jack speak about the Dutchman’s remarkable performance, which saw him take his first GP win in the dry since June.

READ MORE – Max Verstappen wins Qatar GP as Ferrari keep F1 title race alive

Verstappen had a fire in his belly in Qatar after his spat with Mercedes’ George Russell over a one-place grid penalty and there was much more to discuss from the GP weekend.

A loose wing mirror caused chaos and penalties galore, but more than that, it paved the way for Sauber to score its first points of 2024 with Zhou Guanyu.

It was a dismal weekend for Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and an intriguing one regarding the Constructors’ Championship.

READ NEXT – Why Mercedes turned down Lewis Hamilton’s wish to retire from F1 Qatar GP

Ferrari has closed the gap to McLaren at the top of the standings to 21 points while Alpine moved into sixth at the expense of Haas and RB.

Talking of Alpine, Esteban Ocon has been dropped ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP in favour of 2025 recruit Jack Doohan.

Moreover, Audi has sold a minority stake in its fledgling F1 project to the Qatar Investment Authority and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem had some words for the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.

But it wasn’t just Formula 1 that Dan and Jack spoke about, with Season 11 of the FIA Formula E World Championship set to get underway in Sao Paulo.

Jack tells Dan what to expect from the dawn of GEN3 Evo in Formula E, which will be free-to-air in the UK thanks to a new deal with ITV.

Don’t miss out!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE – Watch Motorsport Speak: Max Verstappen wins fourth F1 title in Las Vegas GP

The post Watch Motorsport Speak: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen shows F1 field who’s boss at the Qatar GP appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Fernando Alonso has revealed his plan for future qualifying sessions after Max Verstappen’s one-place grid drop in last weekend’s Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.

The Dutchman set the fastest lap time last weekend in qualifying at the Lusail International Circuit before his later penalty bumped him back down to second.

The stewards determined that Verstappen had impeded Mercedes’ George Russell whilst both drivers were on out laps building towards their final runs in Q3.

Verstappen argued but to no avail as the decision stood, prompting fans and media alike to be left puzzled by the outcome of the investigation.

However, out of the bizarre punishment has come a revelation for two-time F1 champion Alonso, who has vowed to exploit the regulations to the maximum.

“I only read the news that it was a one-place penalty for, I don’t know,” Alonso told media including Motorsport Week.

“He was slow, but George was on a slow lap as well.

“So in Abu Dhabi, if I’m in a slow lap, I will push crazy to the car in front to have penalty I guess, if he’s impeding me.”

Alonso sympathises with new F1 race director

Despite all the controversy surrounding Verstappen’s penalty, Alonso took the time to applaud the new race director, Rui Marques, for the job he has done to date.

He acknowledged: “I think they have a tough race here.

“They’ve been monitoring F2 and F1 in the same weekend, and they still do a good job.

“It’s only the second race for the race director – so far, I think he’s doing a very good job.”

Alonso finished seventh in Qatar, his first points finish in four races after he capitalised on penalties, punctures and retirements ahead to finish inside the top 10.

When asked about the race, Alonso reviewed: “Sunday for us, a lot of points, six points for the team, P7.

“It’s better than we anticipated, we capitalized on some of the action in front of us, some DNFs, some penalties.

“We were ready there to take the opportunity and [I am] happy for that.”

READ MORE: Fernando Alonso didn’t become ‘slow from day to night’ amid Qatar Q3 appearance

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted the team made a strategic blunder with the pitstop timing that cost George Russell a podium in Formula 1‘s Qatar Grand Prix.

Russell lined up in pole position, but he dropped back three places to come home in an eventual fourth place as Mercedes’ earlier weekend promise didn’t materialise.

The Briton lost out to both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at Turn 1 at the start and he was unable to maintain pace with the two leaders through the opening stint.

Russell was starting to encounter pressure from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri when Mercedes elected to guard against a possible undercut threat with a pitstop on Lap 23.

However, a seven-second stop dropped Russell right back into the pack behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who he was unable to clear over the succeeding laps.

Russell’s woe was compounded as negative degradation on a cool night at the Lusail International Circuit nullified the usual advantage a driver gains from fresh tyres.

Wolff, though, has revealed that the desire to address the chronic understeer that Mercedes experienced in the race on both cars inspired the choice to pit when it did.

“This started to go really south after 15 or so laps when we realised that the car balanced itself out,” Wolff told media including Motorsport Week post-race.

“The understeer crept in and we started to lose real ground to the guys driving in front of us and to Piastri behind us that we felt going on the other tyre and adjusting the front flap on the wing would give us an even happier situation. Which it did not always.

“First of all, that pit stop wasn’t great. We came out behind a long zone of traffic that held us up for many laps.

“So, kind of one triggered the other. Overall nothing positive in that.”

Mercedes didn’t have pace to win in Qatar

Russell had been tipped to replicate his race win at the previous round in Las Vegas from pole based on the encouraging pace Mercedes had shown in the Sprint race.

Wolff attributed the “terrible” understeer that hampered Mercedes to its W15 becoming “a handful” once a track grips up, which wasn’t the case earlier in the weekend.

Asked whether Russell could have triumphed had he maintained the lead at the start, Wolff responded: “No, I don’t think so.

“I think yesterday if the Grand Prix had happened yesterday that was a winnable race.

“But, in sheer pace, I think we would have been behind Lando and we would have been behind Max. So a solid podium, but too much went wrong.”

READ MORE – George Russell was ‘expecting a crash’ with fired up Max Verstappen in Qatar

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Mercedes has revealed that it denied Lewis Hamilton‘s initial request to retire from the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix to avoid his penalty going across to the next round.

Hamilton endured a terrible outing at the Lusail International Circuit as he picked up a puncture and two penalties en route to coming home outside the points in 12th.

The Briton’s second punishment – which he copped due to speeding in the pitlane – all but ruled out his hopes of recovering to score in his penultimate Mercedes race.

Hamilton instructed the team over the radio to “park the car” prior to voicing his intention to stop in the pit box outside the Mercedes garage and “switch off” the W15.

However, Hamilton’s long-term race engineer Peter Bonnington told his driver that doing so would ensure that his penalty would roll over to this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

But having served the drive-through penalty and returned to the track, Hamilton changed his mind about retiring when given the go-ahead and took the chequered flag.

“So, I mean, the race was bad,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told media including Motorsport Week post-race.

“I think the car was sort of difficult for most of them to drive. It just didn’t turn enough.

“When the grip kicks in, the understeer, there are terrible understeer and both of them suffer from that.

“And then [it] comes to that, the poor start, and the pitlane speeding, and it came to a point quite well it almost didn’t make any sense to continue.

“But if you park the car, you’re carrying this five-second penalty into Abu Dhabi.”

Hamilton’s woe no dampener on Mercedes spell

Hamilton, who has secured one podium in nine races, has expressed he is not counting on an upturn in his final appearance with Mercedes before his move to Ferrari.

However, Wolff has denied the challenging run Hamilton has sustained will put a dampener on the huge success he has achieved in his stint with the German marque.

“First of all, with Lewis, we have this amazing partnership that has gone on for 20 years,” Wolff highlighted.

“We’ve won eight Constructors’ Championships and six Drivers’ with him, and I don’t know how many races he won, 80-something. So that’s the overarching feeling.

“I think when I speak to Lewis, that’s something which we are holding dearly.

“Now, these last races, maybe in the whole season, in the last week, was clearly not what we expect.

“That car has a handful to drive on its worst days, like it was today. The moment the grip kicks in, [it] just doesn’t turn. So, we have one more [race] to go.

“We will continue to give it our utmost, and we will celebrate the partnership, the relationship that we had, and those few races will be forgotten quickly. As much as it hurts at the moment.”

READ MORE – Ferrari ‘not worried at all’ about Lewis Hamilton despite F1 Qatar GP woes

The post Why Mercedes turned down Lewis Hamilton’s wish to retire from F1 Qatar GP appeared first on Motorsport Week.

RB’s Yuki Tsunoda hilarious misheard radio communication during the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix that led him to believe there was a beaver on track.

The Qatar GP changed dramatically when Alex Albon’s Williams saw a wing mirror shake loose on Lap 30.

When that was struck by Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, triggering debris and a Safety Car, chaos ensued behind eventual winner Max Verstappen.

However, amidst all of that, Tsunoda revealed that he thought an altogether different prospect was causing issues on track.

“Was it mirror? I heard beaver,” the Japanese driver told select media post-race.

“My engineers said: ‘There’s a beaver.’ But why is there a beaver in the Middle East? Like how is it possible a beaver is in the Middle East?

“But okay, maybe there’s a surprise with global warming – kicking a lot of interesting things in the Earth.”

Drivers didn’t respect yellow flags during Qatar GP, says Yuki Tsunoda

With the beaver confusion cleared up, another facet of the Qatar GP puzzled Tsunoda.

As was the case with his comical miscommunication over team radio, the Japanese driver’s query was related to the stricken wing mirror on track.

Race control initially managed the situation with double waved yellows, which caught McLaren’s Lando Norris out, landing him a 10-second stop-and-go penalty.

However, Tsunoda observed several drivers ignoring the yellow flags and wants that to be reviewed in the eyes of fair competition.

“There was the double yellow and some cars behind didn’t really follow it,” he said.

“So we have to revise that in the next drivers’ briefing that some driver does respect it, and some driver doesn’t respect it. That’s very unfair.”

When it comes to the race itself, Tsunoda had trouble fighting as his RB lacked ultimate pace.

Despite crucially featuring in the top-10 early on amid his team’s fight in the Constructors’ Championship over sixth place with Haas and Alpine, the Japanese driver succumbed to 13th by the time the chequered flag fell.

“Yeah, I had a good start as well and I was P9, able to overtake [Fernando] Alonso as well after the safety car,” he said.

“But I never had like that much of a bad pace.

“I just gave it everything, you know, I was not even managing the tyres.

“In Qatar, normally it’s hard to overtake with the car behind, and it seems like a lot of cars [found it] quite easy to overtake me.

“Just generally lack of pace, and it’s not even small.” 

With Liam Lawson finishing 14th, a zero score leaves RB eighth in the standings with 46 points, eight behind Haas and 13 behind Alpine.

READ MORE – RB insists Yuki Tsunoda ready to make Red Bull F1 step

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The Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix will be remembered for its action-packed and controversial moments. Behind Max Verstappen, drivers either excelled or buckled under the pressure as the end-of-season stakes ramped up. Here are the winners and losers of the chaotic 2024 Qatar GP.

Max Verstappen: 10

Grid Position P2, Race Result P1

Verstappen took to the grid in Qatar, wanting revenge for what he saw as a deliberate attempt to disadvantage him in qualifying. Delivering on his promise, he took the lead into the first corner and never relinquished it. His victory was flawless, and his trademark aggression returned as he got his elbows defending from an eager Lando Norris. His moves were hard but fair, turning the page on his Mexico misdemeanours.

All great World Champions can ride out a challenging race, and the Dutchman navigated the malaise others suffered with complete ease, having the foresight to notice that Norris had not slowed under double-waved yellow flags on Lap 31. A mature race from Verstappen, this is the kind of race the newly crowned four-time World Champion is known for.

The difference in driveability between the sprint and Grand Prix showcased how quickly fortunes can turn around in F1, his RB20 looking a different car on Sunday compared to Saturday. With one round left, Verstappen has the car to sign off another successful year in considerable style next weekend.

Sergio Perez: 3

Grid Position P9, Race Result DNF

Perez sunk to new lows in Qatar. His Sprint Race start faux pas should have been the bottom of the barrel, but his retirement behind the Safety Car on Lap 40 rounded off the weekend that may have finally killed his career.

Before his mysterious retirement, Perez enjoyed a competitive race by his below-par standards in 2024, running in the top six and looked set for his best result since the start of the year. However, his forlorn radio message indicates he dropped the car himself before losing drive. Whether self-induced or a mechanical failure, Perez will be praying for a better overall weekend in what looks set to be his final race for Red Bull after a torrid year.

Pressure is mounting on Perez to announce his retirement without forcing Red Bull’s hand, but this is as likely as the Mexican taking part in a performance of The Nutcracker at the Royal Albert Hall.

Charles Leclerc: 9

Grid Position P5, Race Result P2

With his inspired drive in Qatar, Leclerc’s performance has kept Ferrari’s Constructors’ Championship aspirations alive. Moving past the McLaren of Oscar Piastri on the first lap, he battled with the Australian for much of the opening stages.

Passing the McLaren in the pits on Lap 36 under the Safety Car, he saw off a challenge from the McLaren at the restart and now primed to take advantage of any issues for the leading pair of Verstappen and Norris.

When Norris seemingly forgot where his brake pedal was, Leclerc stormed into second place at the chequered flag when the McLaren pitted for his penalty. Leclerc extracted the maximum from his car as he chases down the runner-up spot in the Drivers’ Championship.

Carlos Sainz: 6.5

Grid Position P7, Race Result P6

Sainz’s main achievement in Qatar was running over the mirror of Alex Albon. Mostly absent from the afternoon’s action, the Spaniard failed to make any real impression on the race while his team-mate shined under the lights.

Whilst bad luck contributed to the puncture that followed the contact with the detached mirror, his pace afterwards completely fell away, leading to the embarrassing loss of position to Pierre Gasly in the latter stages of the race, which he never recovered.

On a day where the gap to McLaren could have been reduced significantly, Sainz’s average performance will not have gone down well with the Scuderia. Hauling in the 21 points to McLaren in one race is a big ask, and needs both drivers to achieve this. While Sainz did indeed turn up in Qatar, the Spaniard appeared to miss the team memo about fighting at the front.

Oscar Piastri: 8.5

Grid Position P4, Race Result P3

While not at the same pace as team-mate Norris, Piastri’s performance in Qatar was strong. McLaren and Ferrari were closely matched in the race, and the epic battle between the Australian and Leclerc showcased the stakes in the championship. Although losing out to the Monegasque thanks to being on the wrong end of a Safety Car deployment, his consistent speed and drama-free race secured the final spot on the podium and played a significant part in keeping the gap to Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship above 20 points.

Lando Norris: 5

Grid Position P3 Race Result P9

Norris threw away his best chance at victory in several races in Qatar. Initially, he looked set for a strong result to put to bed whispers that he lacked the behaviours to challenge Max. Pulling off a bold move at the start on George Russell, he almost took the lead but backed out, opting to avoid a potential collision.

Caution was the name of the game for Norris, as he got dicey with Verstappen several times but never found a way past the Red Bull. Suffering from tunnel vision, his sole focus on passing Verstappen led to a lapse in concentration and forgetting how his brake pedal worked as he failed to slow down under yellow flags. The stewards’ punishment of a 10-second stop-and-go penalty destroyed his afternoon and will have hit his confidence.

He recovered to get back into the points but ultimately, Qatar became another example of Norris failing to maximise results in a strong car.

George Russell: 6.5

Grid Position P1 Race Result P4

Russell’s performance at Lusail was underwhelming at best and poor at its worst. Focused entirely on his increasingly volatile rivalry with Verstappen, Russell lost the lead at the first corner, with Norris steaming by to rub salt in the wound. Unable to keep up with the top two, he fell behind at a spectacular rate; his trademark complaints of grip once again shone as brightly as the lack of speed in his W15.

His team shares the blame for a below-par Sunday after bodging his pit stop, relegating him behind Piastri’s McLaren, with no hope of moving forward afterwards. Finishing just two seconds ahead of Gasly’s Alpine, the victory of Las Vegas will now be a distant memory.

Lewis Hamilton: 3

Grid Position P6 Race Result P12

Hamilton’s Mercedes career is ending in just one race’s time, with the motivation of the seven-time world champion called into question as his results continue to underwhelm. Admitting he fears his speed is terminally disappearing, his performance in Qatar will do nothing to quell those voicing concerns. His W15 spent the race going backwards without speed, downforce, and balance.

Combined with picking up a puncture after running over the debris caused by Albon’s mirror, a five-second penalty for a false start, and a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, it is easy to see why Hamilton had to be supposedly convinced to complete the race. Lack of motivation and a competitive car are leading to terrible performances for Hamilton, and he must improve before his switch to Ferrari.

Pierre Gasly: 9.5

Grid Position P11 Race Result P5

On an afternoon where a driver’s ability to keep their head could lead to a substantial points haul, Gasly’s performance was near flawless. Initially not able to move up the order, the Frenchman spent the first phase of the race on the fringes of the points. But as the pit stops approached, he found himself in eighth after stunning overtakes and in a position where he could capitalise on the chaos caused by Albon’s detached mirror. Battling hard with Sainz’s Ferrari, he forced an error from the Spaniard, leading to well-deserved fifth place at the finish.

Gasly looks rejuvenated as Alpine’s upgrades begin to pay dividends, and the potential of his alliance with the French team is at last showing its full potential.

Esteban Ocon: N/A

Grid Position P20 Race Result DNF

Ocon was an innocent victim in the first-corner clash between himself, Franco Colapinto and Nico Hulkenberg in what turned out to be his last race for Alpine. His subsequent release by the team with one race still left on his contract speaks volumes about the situation at Enstone and Ocon’s attitude. While team-mate Gasly enjoyed a strong weekend and a brilliant top-five finish, Ocon made life exceptionally difficult for himself by starting in 20th, with a challenging race the best he could hope for. His mindset will have fully switched to his Haas debut after Abu Dhabi.

Fernando Alonso: 8

Grid Position P8 Race Result P7

The Qatar GP showcased Alonso’s experience and raw speed once again as he wrestled his draggy AMR24 to a points finish. Although dropping down the order in the opening laps, he too took advantage of the chaos induced by race control’s failure to deploy a Virtual Safety car to deal with Albon’s mirror. Using all his experience and dogged determination, seventh place at the chequered flag was a good result for a car that has rapidly fallen down the competitive order.

Lance Stroll: 2

Grid Position P15 Race Result DNF

Stroll’s race was nothing short of an embarrassment. Albon was left far from impressed as the Canadian understeered into him on the first lap. Zhou Guanyu, watching the action from behind, also appeared unimpressed by Stroll’s antics. Unlike in previous races, Stroll survived the incident but was awarded a 10-second stop/go penalty for the collision. However, this hardly mattered in the long run as he retired on lap 10. This is yet another race with only one Aston Martin scoring points and driving at an acceptable level for F1.

Zhou Guanyu: 10

Grid Position P12 Race Result P8

Zhou is a driver reborn in recent races, with the Qatar GP, demonstrating the driver hidden inside the nadir of Sauber’s 2024 season. Aggressive from the start, the Chinese driver battled hard to move up the order, rewarded with a thoroughly deserved four points at the chequered flag. His spectacular move on Yuki Tsuonda on lap 15 underlined his credentials. When the chaos started later in the race, he kept his cool and his position on merit, finishing comfortably ahead of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas. He may have finished lower down the order, but Zhou put in a flawless drive.

Valtteri Bottas: 6.5

Grid Position P13 Race Result P11

That Bottas finished 15 seconds away from the points masks the struggles the Finn endured during the race. Hit by Liam Lawson’s RB early on, Bottas raced with a damaged floor, which cost him precious performance. That he was able to overtake the likes of Tsunoda and, en route to 11th at the chequered flag, shows the consistency and dependability that has defined his career.

Kevin Magnussen: 8

Grid Position P10 Race Result P9

Magnussen’s performance has kept Haas in the running for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Pulling off thrilling overtakes on Tsunoda and the wounded Albon, he, too, took advantage of Norris’s penalty. Although ultimately losing out to Zhou, Magnussen showed that he can still cut it with the best on his day. If he replicates this pace next weekend, he will leave Haas on a high.

Nico Hulkenberg: 3

Grid Position P18 Race Result DNF

Hulkenberg did not feature in the Qatar GP after his first-lap clash with Colapinto and Ocon. Although he continued, the German trundled around in the lower part of the order until an embarrassing spin on lap 40 ahead of the final Safety Car restart resulted in him beaching his Haas in the gravel. With such high stakes for the team at the finale, Hulkenberg must avoid a repeat performance in Abu Dhabi.

Yuki Tsunoda: 5

Grid Position P14 Race Result P13

Tsunoda had no pace in Lusail, his car unable to challenge for points after losing multiple positions at the start. Even fitting the soft tyres at the final Safety Car failed to help the Japanese driver move forward. That said, he used the machinery at his disposal to the best of his abilities, extracting the absolute maximum from his car. The same cannot be said of his team-mate or the driver he aims to replace at Red Bull next season.

Liam Lawson: 2.5

Grid Position P14 Race Result P14

Lawson’s chances of securing the 2025 seat took a severe hit in Qatar. Hitting Bottas and spinning off at the first restart, he spent the evening consigned to the back of the pack, unable to move forward, spending the majority of his race needing incidents to bring him back into contention. With no pace, poor overtaking execution, and underperformance, Lawson’s stock has taken a nosedive matched only by the most extreme near-vertical rollercoaster. Sadly, Lawson cannot get off his ride of terror and needs to stabilise his position if he is to move to Milton Keynes in 2025.

Alex Albon: 2

Grid Position P16 Race Result P15

Very much in the wars from the first lap, Albon’s race was nothing short of a disaster. Hit by Stroll on the first lap, losing his mirror at the halfway stage, and receiving a 10 second time penalty in the final few laps, Albon is unrecognisable compared to the start of the season. Gone is the consistent driver of old, replaced by one so cautious that it almost equates to inaction. The end of the season will act as a much-needed reset, as Sainz will test him every second of every weekend when he arrives at Williams, and right now, he is already floundering.

Franco Colapinto: N/A

Grid Position P19 Race Result DNF

While Albon can be accused of inaction, Colapinto was just a bystander in his short race in Qatar. Williams’s sixteenth crash of 2024 had the team in justifiable agony as another potential result slipped away. Rumours continue to persist Colapinto will be in an RB next season; the young Argentinian will be hoping his poor run of form in recent races has not impacted the possibility.

Race Control: 4

After the chaos caused by the inability to deploy a Safety Car for four laps, Race Control needs to be mentioned on this list. Two drivers had their races ruined due to inaction over a piece of debris, with the competency of the officials called into question once again.

Deploying a Virtual Safety Car at the very least so a marshal could retrieve Albon’s mirror would have efficiently removed the situation’s danger, with commentators, fans, and teams baffled at the delay in taking action. The situation resembled a boat heading for a cliff but only changing course after colliding with the rocks. An entirely avoidable episode, the FIA’s responses to incidents will be scrutinised in Abu Dhabi.

However, it must be said that as delayed as other decisions were, all were correct in terms of penalties awarded.

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