This is what we can expect from the upcoming weekend
At this crucial stage in the championship, the F1 teams travel to a circuit where they have never raced before. That means the only knowledge the team has about it Losail International Circuit have originated from the simulator. The training sessions in particular will be very important this weekend. In these training sessions, the teams collect data so that the cars can be optimally adjusted. Making kilometers is therefore the advice.
That adjustment will not be an easy job. As with Spa-Francorchamps there is a long straight where you want top speed, but also a twisty middle sector where you need a lot of downforce on the car. Those two things don’t go together, so a compromise has to be made. In the three hours that the drivers are allowed to train on this new circuit, finding that balance will be the most important task.
Chances are you just had panic attacks when we talked about top speed. In the previous race, Hamilton was lightning fast with his new internal combustion engine. He will have a less great advantage from that in the coming race. Toto Wolff indicated that there is no longer a planned engine change for Hamilton. And this engine loses about 20 hp per race, so hopefully the Mercedes and Red Bull will be a bit more on the same level this weekend.
Dates and times of the 2021 Qatar GP
Friday 19 November 2021
1st free practice: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
2nd free practice: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Saturday 20 November 2021
3rd free practice: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Qualification: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Race: 3:00 PM
