Friday, November 29, 2024, 7:56 p.m.
Although it is somewhat anticlimactic, and not because it is held at night, the Qatar GP still has a lot to decide for the remaining battles until the 2024 season ends definitively. Lando Norris is the first to not want the flame to go out , both in that his team is in the middle of the fight to win the constructors’ title, a World Cup that distributes the monetary prize (and with it, the 2025 budget) between the teams.
Thus, it is vital for him to win everything that remains and try to stop the challenge of Ferrari, whom both he and Oscar Piastri have so far surpassed in the sprint classification this Friday. Qatar hosts the last GP with this format in 2024, allowing everyone to score on both Saturday and Sunday if they are able. In this sense, Carlos Sainz will have it much better than Fernando Alonso, since the Madrid native will start in fourth position after narrowly surpassing his teammate Charles Leclerc, who has still been in trouble with the Spaniard since last Sunday.
The Asturian and his ‘Tractor’ Martin were close to returning to the ‘top 10’ of a grid, although it was a short race, but he fell very close. The conditions of this circuit slightly cover the shortcomings of the AMR24, a car that has already been abandoned and that they are eager to send to the museum.
SQ1: Another ridiculous one from Pérez
With less time than a normal Q1, as happened in previous editions of this same Grand Prix, the notable improvement of the track as the night session progressed led to relative surprises, such as seeing Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively, because they knew how to wait for their moment.
What has not been surprising for a long time is to see Lando Norris with the best time, with the recent four-time champion fourth. And not another ridiculous one from Sergio Pérez. The Mexican fell at the first opportunity (along with Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, Guanyu Zhou and Franco Colapinto), showing that he is neither here nor expected. Not even racing without pressure, because he has already been in charge of destroying Red Bull’s options in the brands championship, saves him from embarrassing fans and even detractors, who feel embarrassed seeing him every weekend. If in other circuits he fell due to a lack of pure competitiveness, in this one it was because he did not start when he should.
Among the relative surprises, the good performance of the Mercedes on a circuit as different as Losail.
SQ2: Alonso roza el pase de oro
Only 40 thousandths prevented Fernando Alonso from exceeding the first expectations of this weekend. The Asturian did not advance to SQ3 because of that sigh, when he was overtaken by Pierre Gasly in the final moments of SQ2 and sent him to painful eleventh place. He also wouldn’t have achieved a much higher position in the next round, but he would have liked to treat himself just in case it is his last chance this year.
The fastest was, again, Lando Norris. The Briton was brilliant all this Friday, and although he no longer has anything at stake personally, he is in a position to shore up the constructors’ championship for McLaren, as a consolation that might seem scarce but his team does not consider it that way.
SQ3: Norris does not speculate
Without pressure because he already has the runner-up position practically done, Lando Norris added the ‘minipole’ of this last Grand Prix to the sprint of the year 2024 and aims for victory this Saturday, since now it is too late. He will have to fight with George Russell, very strong this Friday who was just over half a tenth off his time and who prevented the full McLaren from making the front row, as Piastri settled for third.
Carlos Sainz, this time without controversy or pressure, surpassed a helpless Charles Leclerc who did not miss his appointment with complaints on the radio, this time against a rival and not against his teammate. Verstappen, already on the road until next week, will start in a comfortable sixth place which will allow him to score points, if he still wants, or he will be able to let himself go. He, unlike others, already has his work done.
