Lusail International Circuit Preview
- therookiereporters
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
It’s the penultimate round of the 2025 Formula One Season and excitement and tension couldn’t be higher. With our championship battle still on, the chance of Lando, Oscar and Max winning this year is on par. It may come down to our season finale in Abu Dhabi but let’s go over the characteristics of this arid track, what happened last year and what to expect this year!
Lusail International Circuit joined the calendar in 2021, meaning Oscar Piastri is the least experienced driver compared to his championship rivals in Qatar. 57 laps of racing action will adorn our sights as the cars complete the 308.611km race distance. Lando Norris set the fastest lap around the 5.419km track with a 1:22.384 one year ago.
2024 Grand Prix Recap
Before the Grand Prix we had a Sprint race. Lando Norris led the entire session but would go on to finish second and let his teammate win to repay the favour that occurred in Brazil. The 1-2 would extend McLaren’s points total in the World Constructors' Championship.
Max Verstappen went into the weekend on a high, having clinched that season’s Drivers’ Championship and making it 4 back-to-back championships the race prior. He continued to perform and took pole position with George Russell second and Norris third, but was given a one-place grid penalty. Verstappen took the lead and ultimately controlled the race to take the win. Lando Norris, who was on a charge to catch the Dutch driver, was affected by a stop-go penalty after failing to slow under yellow flags - the first of its kind since the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. This dropped him from second to the back of the grid, yet this didn’t deter him as he climbed his way back up to tenth, taking home 1 point for McLaren.
We had three safety cars in the Qatar Grand Prix 2024, the first for Esteban Ocon and Franco Colapinto on lap 1. Both drivers collided and DNFed (did not finish). Our second safety car deployment came from a rather unusual and bizarre moment that saw Alexander Albon’s wing mirror fall off his Williams on the start and finish straight. The debris later resulted in punctures for 7-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton and Albon’s future teammate, Carlos Sainz. The second safety car caused widespread confusion for the athletes as there was a malfunction with the lights. Rather than the lights turning off to signal the resumption of the race, they remained on and teams were verbally told about the safety car period ending. For the final safety car appearance, a backup car was used.
Finally, the Constructors Championship was still yet to be decided as McLaren and Ferrari were in a two-horse race for the trophy that would be decided in the final race of 2024.
What to expect for 2025
After a tumultuous weekend for the McLaren Duo with a double DSQ (disqualification), the pair will be looking to get points more than ever. Lucky for them, there is a Sprint Race this weekend, meaning more points up for grabs! Due to the disqualifications and Verstappen winning Las Vegas, he is now joint second with Australian driver Oscar Piastri, while Lando is 24 points ahead of the pair. Max is on a hunt and has “unleashed the lion” as some would say, he’s taking it weekend by weekend like Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri is under quite the pressure being level on points with a four-time world champion. He must get points and beat the Dutchman out on track to ensure he even has a chance to battle Norris for the championship, let alone second place. All our drivers will be pushing to the limit with it being the penultimate round. We are sure to get some phenomenal racing action out in Qatar!
Article written by Alice Seager ©️Alice Seager 2025
