The 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, Round 23 of the season, marked the start of Formula 1’s final fortnight as the championship returned to the Middle East. With Max Verstappen already securing his fourth consecutive Drivers’ title under the lights of Las Vegas in the previous round, the spotlight shifted to the fierce battle for the Constructors’ crown, where McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull remained in contention with 103 points still on the table.
Race Guide
Race weekend: 29 November 2024 – 1 December 2024
Race date: Sunday, 1 December , 2024
Race start time: 20:00
Circuit: Lusail International Circuit
Laps: 57
Circuit length: 5.38km
2023 winner: Max Verstappen
| Pole position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | George Russell1 | Mercedes | |
| Time | 1:20.575 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Lando Norris | McLaren | |
| Time | 1:22.384 on lap 56 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | |
| Second | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | |
| Third | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | |
The season’s longest-ever calendar concludes with its final back-to-back race, beginning in Qatar. This marks the sixth Grand Prix weekend of the year to follow the Sprint format. Doha and Las Vegas, separated by 13,000 kilometres and an 11-hour time difference, both host night races on the fringes of vast deserts—but the similarities end there. In Las Vegas, drivers tackle a street circuit with medium-to-low-speed corners under chilly conditions, with air and track temperatures hovering just above 10°C. Qatar presents a stark contrast, featuring a permanent circuit with medium-to-high-speed corners and significantly warmer ambient temperatures of around 25°C.
This race marked the third edition of the Qatar Grand Prix, with previous races held in 2021 and 2023. The 2023 event was significantly impacted by an FIA directive limiting each set of tyres to a maximum of 18 laps during the race. This led to all drivers making three pit stops. The directive followed advice from Pirelli engineers, who identified potential micro-lacerations in the tyre sidewalls from earlier track sessions caused by repeated impacts with the kerbs at certain corners. Track improvements were made to prevent a repeat in 2024.
In the two Qatar Grand Prix before this race, victories and pole positions were evenly split between Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. However, Verstappen held a slight edge, having set the fastest lap in both races and securing a second-place finish in 2021. The other podium finishers include Fernando Alonso, who claimed third place for Alpine in 2021, and Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who finished second and third in 2023.
The Qatar Grand Prix weekend would also be the penultimate round for two race series that ran alongside Formula 1: Formula 2 and the F1 Academy.
Weekend schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 29 November 2024 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 4:30 am – 5:30 pm local time |
| 29 November 2024 | Sprint Qualifying | 8:30 pm – 9:14 pm local time |
| 30 November 2024 | Sprint Race | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm local time |
| 30 November 2024 | Qualifying | 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm local time |
| 1 December 2024 | Race | 7:00 pm local time |
On Saturday, under the lights, Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix with a stunning final lap, edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.055 seconds in the closing moments of qualifying. Russell had initially set the pace in the final session, but Verstappen’s late effort denied him the top spot. However, Verstappen’s jubilation was short-lived. He faced a post-session investigation following an incident involving the Mercedes driver, resulting in a one-grid place penalty and Russell inheriting P1 on the starting grid.
Still, it was a remarkable comeback for Red Bull and Verstappen, who struggled earlier in the day during the Sprint Race and finished a disappointing eighth. Had the result stood, it would have handed Verstappen his first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix in late June.
On Sunday, Max Verstappen clinched victory in a chaotic Qatar Grand Prix, fending off a strong challenge from Lando Norris, who faced a costly penalty that ended his lead battle. Charles Leclerc secured second place ahead of Oscar Piastri. The F1 Constructors’ Championship remained undecided, setting up an exciting finale in Abu Dhabi for the following end-of-season race. Zhou Guanyu finished eighth, scoring the Sauber team’s first points of the season.
Post-race, in a shock move from the Alpine team, it was announced that Esteban Ocon would leave, with immediate effect, before the end of his final season with the team; his 2025 replacement Jack Doohan would make an early start to his F1 career at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Championship background
With the Drivers’ Championship already decided after Max Verstappen sealed the title in Las Vegas, attention shifted to the fiercely contested race for the 2024 Constructors’ Championship. Entering the season’s final fortnight, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull remained in the hunt, with each team claiming at least one victory in the past five events.
McLaren led the standings, seeking their first Constructors’ title since 1998. However, Ferrari had significantly narrowed the gap to just 24 points. The championship remained wide open, with a maximum of 59 points available in Qatar between the Sprint and Grand Prix races.
Defending champions Red Bull sat 53 points behind McLaren and needed to reduce the deficit by at least nine points in Qatar to stay in contention. Meanwhile, McLaren could clinch their ninth Constructors’ title in team history if they left Qatar with a lead of 45 points or more, avoiding the need to settle the battle at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the season’s final race.
Race entries
Aside from Franco Colapinto, who was now driving for Williams after replacing Logan Sargeant in Round 16, and Liam Lawson in for Daniel Ricciardo at RB after Round 18, all the drivers from the start of the season took to the track during FP1, Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint Race, Qualifying, and the Grand Prix.
Tyre choices
Only the C3 compound was retained from the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix for tyre selection. At the Lusail Circuit, tyres face demands similar to those at Suzuka and Silverstone, prompting the use of the hardest trio of compounds from the 2024 Pirrelli range. At Qatar, the C3 would serve as the Soft tyre (marked Red), the C2 as the Medium (marked Yellow), and the C1 as the Hard (marked White).
To prevent a repeat of 2023’s issues, where there were three mandatory pit stops, the FIA and Pirelli had worked together to modify the pyramid-shaped kerbs at seven corners—Turns 1, 2, 4, 10, and 12–14—with rounded tips to reduce stress on tyre sidewalls. Gravel strips were also added beyond certain kerbs to deter drivers from exceeding track limits to gain time.
High humidity and elevated temperatures also significantly affected the 2023 Grand Prix, leaving many drivers physically drained and forcing Williams driver Logan Sargeant to retire. Held a month later, in the 2024 season, the race was expected to bring milder conditions. Nevertheless, the challenges faced in 2023 prompted the FIA World Council to approve a standardised cockpit cooling system for use at the hottest Grand Prix starting in 2025.
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Free Practice
In FP1, the only free practice session of the weekend, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari made a strong statement in Qatar, setting the pace on a pivotal weekend in the Constructors’ Championship battle. Leclerc’s impressive lap of 1:21.953 in FP1 outpaced the McLaren drivers of Lando Norris P2 and Oscar Piastri P3 by almost half a second, putting Ferrari in a commanding position as they push to thwart McLaren’s push for the Constructors’ crown.
Full Free Practice Reports
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 was held on 29 November 2024, at 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm local time.
Sprint Qualifying
Lando Norris delivered a stellar performance to claim pole position for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint, as McLaren landed the first blow in their constructors’ title battle with Ferrari by locking in first and third on Saturday’s grid.
Mercedes’ George Russell, fresh off his victory in Las Vegas, disrupted McLaren’s bid for a front-row sweep by edging out Oscar Piastri to claim P2 on the grid. Norris posted a benchmark time of 1:21.012, narrowly beating Russell by 0.063 seconds, while Piastri was another 0.096 seconds behind. Ironically, Russell’s race number being no.63.
Sprint Qualifying Report
Sprint Qualifying Classification
Sprint Qualifying was held on 29 November 2024, 8:30 pm – 9:14 pm local time.
2024 Qatar Sprint Starting Grid
The Sprint starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying session.
Sprint Race
During Saturday’s Sprint race, Oscar Piastri claimed victory after teammate Lando Norris allowed him to pass on the final corner, securing a McLaren one-two finish. Norris had led from the start and seemed poised to clinch his second Sprint win of the 2024 season. However, in a gesture mirroring a less dramatic exchange during the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix Sprint earlier in November, he slowed on the approach to the chequered flag to hand the win to Piastri.
As Russell loomed dangerously close, McLaren seemed unlikely to risk a late position swap. Yet Norris slowed exiting the final corner, allowing Piastri to slip ahead. The duo crossed the line a mere 0.136 seconds apart, with Russell following just 0.274 seconds behind.
Sprint Race Report
Sprint Race Classification
The Sprint Race was held on 30 November 2024, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | 27:03.010 | 8 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 19 | +0.136s | 7 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 19 | +0.410s | 6 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 19 | +1.326s | 5 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 19 | +5.073s | 4 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 19 | +5.650s | 3 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +8.508s | 2 |
| 8 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | +10.368s | 1 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 19 | +14.513s | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 19 | +15.485s | 0 |
| 11 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +19.204s | 0 |
| 12 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +23.351s | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 19 | +24.421s | 0 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 19 | +30.379s | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +33.062s | 0 |
| 16 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 19 | +34.356s | 0 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 19 | +35.102s | 0 |
| 18 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 19 | +35.639s | 0 |
| 19 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 19 | +71.436s | 0 |
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 19 | +74.371s | 0 |
Qualifying
Max Verstappen secured his first Grand Prix pole position in five months for Sunday’s Qatar race, narrowly edging out George Russell. However, he faced a post-session investigation following an incident involving the Mercedes driver, resulting in a one-grid place penalty, handing Russell pole for the race.
This result came just hours after Verstappen finished eighth in the 19-lap Sprint at the Lusail International Circuit. Red Bull made a dramatic turnaround with set-up adjustments between sessions, transforming their car into a pole contender in the hands of the new four-time world champion.
McLaren’s Sprint race one-two finishers slipped to the second row, with Lando Norris qualifying third and Oscar Piastri fourth. Norris’s Q3 effort was hampered by a mistake at Turn Five, where he went wide and touched the gravel.
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying was held on 30 November 2024, at 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm local time.
2024 Qatar Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying session.
What happened in the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen triumphed in a dramatic 2024 Qatar Grand Prix as Lando Norris faced a controversial penalty that ended his bid for victory. The two drivers were in an intense duel for the lead until Norris received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, relegating him to the back of the field. Despite a strong recovery drive, he finished 10th with a bonus point, securing the fastest lap.
Charles Leclerc delivered a surprise second-place finish, with Oscar Piastri completing the podium. McLaren’s Constructors’ Championship lead over Ferrari was trimmed to 21 points, setting up a thrilling finale for the following weekend’s race at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Pole-sitter George Russell secured fourth, followed by Pierre Gasly’s standout performance for Alpine in fifth and Carlos Sainz in sixth.
Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating race, suffering two penalties for a false start and pit lane speeding. Although he considered retiring, he finished 12th, capping a challenging end to his Mercedes drive.
In a standout moment for Sauber, Zhou Guanyu scored the team’s first points of the season with an eighth-place finish amid the chaos.
Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon bid farewell to Alpine after an early retirement due to a first-lap collision with Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto. Ocon’s exit paved the way for Jack Doohan to debut with the team in Abu Dhabi before his full-time seat in 2025.
Controversial stewarding with debris on track
After both Verstappen and Norris had brilliantly overtaken Russell on the opening lap, the pair were locked in a thrilling battle for the lead. However, the Qatar Grand Prix took a dramatic turn when a wing mirror flew off Alex Albon’s Williams halfway through the 57-lap race.
Race control chose not to deploy a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car for seven laps, instead relying on double-waved yellow flags along the main straight. During this period, Norris appeared not to slow down enough for the yellows, a lapse quickly noticed by Verstappen.
A Safety Car was finally deployed on Lap 36, but only after Valtteri Bottas struck the initial debris, causing it to scatter further and lead to dramatic punctures for Hamilton and Sainz.
On the restart, Verstappen and Norris went wheel-to-wheel into Turn One, with Verstappen successfully defending the inside line. Five laps later, the stewards gave Norris a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, effectively ending his challenge for the lead.
Norris fought back from the rear to finish 10th despite the setback, claiming the bonus point for the fastest lap. Meanwhile, Verstappen faced no pressure from Leclerc to secure his ninth victory of the season, marking his first win as a four-time world champion.
Ferrari capitalises on title contenders’ misfortune
McLaren entered the race with a 30-point lead over Ferrari, seemingly poised to edge closer to, or even clinch, their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998. Instead, a combination of strategic missteps and penalties saw their advantage shrink dramatically.
Norris’ penalty proved costly, and Piastri’s decision to pit before the second Safety Car allowed Leclerc to gain the upper hand. Although Piastri was initially ahead of Leclerc, Ferrari capitalised on the timing of the Safety Car, with Leclerc pitting during the caution period and losing less time.
Leclerc then held off Piastri to secure second place, with Ferrari gaining 11 crucial points on a track where they had expected to struggle.
This performance was a boost for Leclerc ahead of his future partnership with Hamilton at Ferrari in 2025. For Hamilton, however, the weekend was another chapter in a difficult season. Struggling for pace in qualifying, Hamilton had earlier admitted, “I’m not fast anymore,” and his Sunday unravelled further with a jump-start from sixth on the grid, for which he apologised over team radio. A subsequent five-second penalty compounded his frustrations, culminating in a 12th-place finish and arguably his most disheartening race of the year.
2024 Qatar Grand Prix race results
The 2024 Qatar Grand Prix Race was held on 1 December 2024, at 7:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 57 | 1:31:05.323 | 25 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 57 | +6.031s | 18 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | +6.819s | 15 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell2 | Mercedes | 57 | +14.104s | 12 |
| 5 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 57 | +16.782s | 10 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 57 | +17.476s | 8 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 57 | +19.867s | 6 |
| 8 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +25.360s | 4 |
| 9 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 57 | +32.177s | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris1 | McLaren Mercedes | 57 | +35.762s | 2 |
| 11 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 57 | +50.243s | 0 |
| 12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 57 | +56.122s | 0 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 57 | +61.100s | 0 |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 57 | +62.656s | 0 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 56 | +1 lap | 0 |
| NC | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 39 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 38 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 8 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 0 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 0 | DNF | 0 |
2George Russell received a five-second time penalty for falling more than 10 car lengths behind the Safety Car.
2024 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.
2024 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 429 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mercedes | 349 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 341 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mercedes | 291 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Ferrari | 272 |
| 6 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 235 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 211 |
| 8 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 152 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Mercedes | 68 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Haas Ferrari | 37 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renault | 36 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | RB-Honda RBPT | 30 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 24 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Alpine Renault | 23 |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas Ferrari | 16 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 12 |
| 17 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | RB-Honda RBPT | 12 |
| 18 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Ferrari / Haas Ferrari | 7 |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | Williams Mercedes | 5 |
| 20 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 4 |
| 21 | Liam Lawson | NZL | RB-Honda RBPT | 4 |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 0 |
| 23 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren Mercedes | 640 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 619 |
| 3 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 581 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 446 |
| 5 | Aston Martin Mercedes | 92 |
| 6 | Alpine Renault | 59 |
| 7 | Haas Ferrari | 54 |
| 8 | RB-Honda RBPT | 46 |
| 9 | Williams Mercedes | 17 |
| 10 | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 4 |
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