Qatar Grand Prix: Race Preview

      Formula 1 continues its season-closing "three deserts tour." From Las Vegas to the Mojave Desert, the "big circus," carrying 1,400 tonnes of valuable cargo, set off on eight cargo Boeing 777s on one of the longest journeys of the season — covering 13,000 kilometers across 11 time zones to touch down a day later in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula.

      Departing on Monday, November 24, Formula 1 arrived in Qatar's capital, Doha, on Tuesday so that by Thursday morning everything would be ready to receive guests and the press.

      The long flight from Vegas to Doha was a rare opportunity for the staff to get some sleep before the penultimate round. The season has been tense; the winter break starting in a couple of weeks will be one of the main talking points of the upcoming weekend, but first the champion must be decided.

      Next week the bright, long and interesting 2025 season will end — fully deserving of the championship being decided at the last moment.

      It's surprising that we are now further from knowing who will take the title than we were three months ago, when Max Verstappen, after the home Dutch Grand Prix, trailed Oscar Piastri by more than a hundred points in the drivers' standings. Back then it seemed decided, but now, with two rounds to go, Piastri and Verstappen are level on points — 366 apiece — while the leader Lando Norris has 390.

      The disqualification of the McLaren drivers at the Las Vegas Grand Prix had a serious impact on the title battle. Many suggested that McLaren simply weren't ready to fight under intense pressure — that’s why they lost the title last year and miscalculated so badly in Vegas that their cars were disqualified. In reality, it merely evened things out. Now each of the four top teams has had one race this season in which they scored no points. From that perspective, they are on a level playing field.

      In terms of results, the leaders also head into the finale almost on equal footing. Norris and Verstappen have seven poles each this year (Piastri five); Piastri and Norris have seven wins apiece (Verstappen six). Lando leads thanks to greater consistency — he has 17 podiums, Oscar 14, Max 13.

      Norris has a relatively comfortable advantage — he is 24 points ahead of his rivals and can clinch the title this weekend if he scores two more points than Piastri and Verstappen. For example, by winning the race.

      But victory will not be easy; moreover, now it's time for Lando to be nervous — all season he was the chaser, and now he is being chased, and the psychological advantage is with Max — he has nothing to lose, no reason to look back, the car is in perfect shape right now, and last year it was he who took pole and won the race in Qatar.

      Two very exciting races lie ahead!