Qatar GP: How Mercedes might impression McLaren vs Ferrari F1 title battle in Constructors’ Championship

With Max Verstappen sealing a fourth consecutive F1 title, consideration turns to the Constructors’ Championship which might go right down to the wire.

McLaren lead Ferrari by 24 factors with two occasions remaining, the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend, which additionally incorporates a Dash, and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 6-8.

Pink Bull are usually not out if it, at 53 factors behind McLaren, however their lack of tempo and Sergio Perez’s struggles imply they may want one thing particular to defend their constructors’ crown.

Mercedes are assured to complete fourth within the standings however their shock one-two in Las Vegas helped McLaren, because it prevented Ferrari from scoring extra factors.

If Mercedes are sturdy once more in Qatar, that can have large implications on the title race.

How McLaren can seal championship at Qatar GP

Every staff has the potential to say a most of 44 factors on an everyday race weekend, with 25 factors going to the winner, 18 to the driving force who finishes second, and an additional level accessible for the quickest lap of the race.

That’s what might be on provide on the season finale in Abu Dhabi, however in Qatar there are 15 extra factors accessible for every constructor, with eight factors going to the Dash winner and 7 to the second-placed finisher on Saturday.

Which means if McLaren go away the Qatar weekend on Sunday with a lead of 45 factors, or extra, they may win the Constructors’ Championship. Subsequently, the Woking-based staff would wish to outscore Ferrari by 21 factors and never be outscored by Pink Bull by eight factors.

Within the occasion it does get tight and the championship goes right down to Abu Dhabi, it’s value remembering {that a} tie for first or second can be selected countback of which staff has received extra races this season. Pink Bull are on eight wins, whereas McLaren and Ferrari have 5 every.

Within the occasion two groups had the identical variety of wins, it could then go right down to which staff had recorded essentially the most second-placed finishes, and so forth.

McLaren boss Stella: We now have a job to complete

McLaren had their worst weekend for the reason that early phases of the season by way of tempo in Las Vegas, as Lando Norris completed a lonely sixth and Oscar Piastri was seventh.

Ferrari took 12 factors out of them because of Carlos Sainz’s podium in third and a disgruntled Charles Leclerc in fourth, with the Monegasque driver seemingly sad a few lack of team-order compliance and his technique.

Nonetheless, Ferrari have been unable to do something about Mercedes and have been denied a much bigger factors haul, so McLaren have a pleasant cushion of 24 factors.

“We lost points to Ferrari but our job was to limit the damage, considering we go to two venues which should be more comfortable ground for our car,” McLaren staff principal Andrea Stella instructed Sky Sports activities F1.

“But when you have a Mercedes performing like this, a Ferrari at this level, Red Bull, it is never comfortable. We know the job is not finished.

“There’s laborious work forward of us. We go to the final two races absolutely centered and we’ve a job to complete.”

McLaren have been all the time anticipated to be much less aggressive in Las Vegas however have excessive hopes about Qatar attributable to its high-speed corners.

The fast turns are the place McLaren have been fast this season and the hotter temperatures also needs to assist them, as they didn’t benefit from the chilly climate in Vegas.

“Qatar and Abu Dhabi should be more suitable for the way we designed the car,” mentioned Stella.

“However, on the identical time, we have to be cautious that the extent of the highest groups in F1, even in 2024, for my part it’s unprecedented.

“I can’t remember a season in F1 where four teams are operating at such a high level, not only that they are in a condition to win, but a condition to dominate like Mercedes did in Las Vegas.

“So we go to Qatar pondering the automobile could carry out nicely but when we predict that is a straightforward trip, we might be hit by the truth. We go there pondering we have to maximise the potential of the automobile. If we try this, then actually from a monitor format standpoint, the automobile ought to spend a whole lot of time the place it has been designed to carry out.

“But I can’t not recognise that I would expect Ferrari, certainly even Red Bull, Mercedes got information from Vegas, to be in a condition to win in Qatar. It’s very interesting, much more than I would like! I always try to get things to be boring but that’s not the case.”

Vasseur trying to take title race to Abu Dhabi

McLaren haven’t received the Constructors’ Championship since 1998, though they did end high of the 2007 standings however have been disqualified following the ‘Spygate’ case.

Ferrari’s final triumph got here in 2008, in order that they have gone 16 years with none title in F1. These are two of the game’s most well-known groups, each determined to finish the domination of Pink Bull and Mercedes from the final decade and a half.

“I would rather be 24 points behind than 200. The championship is still open. We don’t know what will happen in Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” mentioned Ferrari staff principal Frederic Vasseur.

“For sure, on paper, Qatar isn’t the best track for us, but we’ve had tough weekends, we managed to do a good job.

“We are going to preserve centered and do our greatest to place strain on McLaren for the final race. That is essential as a result of something can occur within the final Grand Prix. We are going to push till the final nook of the final lap of the final race.”

Whereas McLaren benefit from the high-speed corners, Ferrari, on paper, don’t. There are just a few slow-speed traction zones, which Ferrari are sturdy at, and they don’t have the optimum aerodynamic downforce of McLaren.

Sainz is already anticipating Ferrari to be a harm limitation weekend in Qatar.

“We just need to go into that trying to maximise whatever we have. I think over the last few weekends we’ve done a good job,” he mentioned.

“In Qatar, the maximum might be a P5 or a P6 because in that car, with this car in a track like Qatar, I expect to struggle and I expect McLaren and Mercedes to be very strong.

“In all probability additionally even Pink Bull, on condition that they have been sturdy additionally in qualifying in Austin. I feel it should be a really difficult weekend for us. That is why Vegas was essential for us to get the utmost variety of factors accessible, and we type of did that for the tempo that we had.”

The Mercedes issue

No one thought Mercedes would dominate like they did in Las Vegas however the Silver Arrows switched the tyres on and revelled on the chilly monitor.

Final 12 months in Qatar, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton began second and third behind pole-sitter Verstappen, solely to collide on the first nook.

They’d sturdy tempo, although, and Russell thinks the graceful monitor floor will imply Mercedes are additionally aggressive in Qatar and that Vegas was not a one-off.

“When the car is in the right window, it’s on rails,” he instructed Sky Sports activities F1. “I think it’s no secret we have been struggling a bit with the ride, so on the bumpy tracks you have to lift the car, go softer with the car and are totally out of our downforce window.

“After we can get the automobile low and stiff, we’re flying. We have to broaden that window. That is why you’re seeing these large fluctuations. We have not forgotten the right way to get the automobile arrange, it is simply we’re pressured to place it in a window we do not need it to be.”

Russell revealed he deliberate to make use of an previous energy unit in Vegas to save lots of the mileage on his brisker engine for Qatar, which suggests Mercedes are assured about their possibilities this weekend.

“I think we’ve got a good shot in Qatar, to be honest. Going into this triple-header, I had my sights set on Qatar,” Russell mentioned.

“Even to the point that I wanted to take my freshest engine out and put an old engine in for Vegas, to save my best engine for Qatar. And I’m kind of glad we didn’t do that now.”

A double podium for McLaren or Ferrari on Sunday can be enormous, however whether it is Mercedes who’ve two drivers on the rostrum, that can solely assist McLaren.

Hamilton is in a curious place the place he might impression his former staff McLaren, or his new staff Ferrari, relying on his performances.

The seven-time world champion says Mercedes might be “in a good spot” to problem for the win if the dealing with of the automobile is just like Vegas.

“I don’t think anyone in the team knows why we were as quick as we were in Vegas and everyone will be happy about it,” he mentioned.

“But I think often in the hotter conditions, we struggle more. Maybe Qatar is not so bad because it’s a little bit cooler there and the track is very smooth.

“So possibly we’ll not be too unhealthy at that monitor. I feel we have been OK there final 12 months. Abu Dhabi, possibly much less so. However we’ll see.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Qatar GP schedule

Thursday November 28
3pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday November 29
9.55am: F1 Academy Practice One
11am: F2 Practice
1pm: Qatar GP Practice One (practice starts at 1.30pm)
2.55pm: F1 Academy Practice Two
4.05pm: F2 Qualifying
5pm: Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying (qualifying starts at 5.30pm)*

Saturday November 30
12.10pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
1pm: Qatar GP Sprint build-up
2pm: QATAR GP SPRINT
3.30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
4pm: F2 Sprint Race
5.15pm: Qatar GP Qualifying build-up
6pm: QATAR GP QUALIFYING
8pm: F1 Academy: Race One
8.45pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday December 1
10.55am: F1 Academy Race Two
12.15pm: F2 Feature Race
2.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Qatar GP build-up
4pm: The QATAR GRAND PRIX
6pm: Chequered Flag: Qatar GP reaction
7pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1’s season-ending triple-header continues this weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream the ultimate two F1 races and extra with a NOW Sports activities Month Member