2025 Qatar Grand Prix – Preview

The penultimate race of the 2025 season takes place at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.

• Toto talks Qatar
• Fact File: Qatar Grand Prix
• Stat Sheet: Qatar Grand Prix

Toto Talks Qatar

Two to go. We carry a healthy advantage for P2 in the Constructors’ to Qatar but are taking nothing for granted. Whilst we gained points on our nearest rivals in Las Vegas, the weekend also showed how quickly things can change. As a team we executed well and are focused on doing so again in both Doha and Abu Dhabi.

We have the added challenge of the Sprint format this weekend and an imposed usage limit on the tyres too. Making a solid start in FP1, and having a good base to build from, will be key. We expect our competitors to be quick; warm conditions and high-speed corners haven’t been our strength this year. We’re focused on our process though and will look to maximise the package we have.

Fact File: Qatar Grand Prix

• Following F1’s inaugural visit to the Lusail International Circuit back in 2021, the circuit was completely resurfaced ahead of its second race in 2023 with a completely new pit and paddock complex constructed in the run up to the race.
• This included larger pit garages, new team buildings, and new access tunnels.
• Temperatures during the day in Doha can reach close to 40°C, and several drivers found the conditions incredibly tough in 2023, as the race was held earlier in the year in early October.
• The track has a fast and flowing nature as it is predominantly used for motorcycle racing.
• There is only one corner, Turn Six, that sees the minimum speed drop below 100 km/h.
• There are therefore no heavy braking events for the cars to tackle, a unique occurrence on the 2025 calendar.
• While the braking energy requirement is low, there are still six braking events that the cars encounter across the lap.
• Pirelli have announced that a limit of 25 laps per tyre will be introduced over the course of the whole race weekend. With the field set for a 57-lap Grand Prix, it means each driver will be stopping at least twice during the race.
• There are 16 corners in total: 10 to the right and six to the left. The track’s main straight covers over 1km of the total lap distance and is the sole DRS zone on the circuit.
• The pit lane in Qatar is the third longest of any circuit we visit on the calendar, behind only Imola and Silverstone. It clocks in at 502m, and the expected pit lane time is over 20 seconds.
• Lewis Hamilton won the first Qatar Grand Prix for Mercedes in 2021.
• This will be the third year in a row that the circuit has hosted an F1 Sprint Race weekend.
• George took his fifth F1 pole position in Qatar in 2024, having finished third in the Sprint race a few hours earlier. Having also claimed pole in Las Vegas, it was the first time he had taken consecutives poles in his career.

Stat Sheet: Qatar Grand Prix