After last week’s surprising double disqualification of the McLarens due to excessive plank wear, Formula 1 heads straight to the Middle East, to Losail, for the Qatar Grand Prix — the penultimate race of the season. The final sprint begins, with the championship still open and everything left to play for.
The Qatari circuit, with its distinctive crown-shaped layout, is highly technical and features corners that are extremely demanding on tires. Due to the high lateral forces, thermal stress and wear, Pirelli — in agreement with the FIA — has set a 25-lap limit for each tire set.
Despite being run at night, with more manageable temperatures, this Grand Prix remains highly demanding for the drivers as well.
MEDIUM-HIGH DOWNFORCE | LIMITED LAP NUMBER ON EACH TYRE SET | HIGH LATERAL STRESS
· As shown by the temperature plot, tires are heavily loaded, especially laterally, on a par with Suzuka and Silverstone. Despite a higher number of right-hand corners, tire stress is relatively balanced overall, with the front-left slightly more critical. The high-speed sequence of Turns 12–13–14 is the most demanding section for the tires.
· For this weekend, Pirelli has been forced to bring its hardest range: C1–C2–C3, to cope with the severe loads the tires will face.
· Expected grip levels are very low, worsened by the likely presence of sand and dust. However, with F2 on track and the F1 Sprint format, the circuit is expected to rubber in quickly and improve significantly over the weekend.
As highlighted in the wear analysis, expected degradation at Losail is very high, comparable to Suzuka and Silverstone. Even though the asphalt is not particularly abrasive, the sustained lateral loading accelerates tire wear. Race strategy will be strongly shaped by the FIA’s stint-length limitation, effectively forcing teams into at least two pit stops to reach the finish. Overtaking is possible, but qualifying performance and pit-wall strategy will remain decisive.
