Verstappen debuted as a four-time champion at the track where he won his third crown

He Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) premiere this weekend, at Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate of the year, his new status as four-time Formula One world champion. Losail circuitwhich will host the final weekend with a sprint format; and where a year ago he celebrated his third straight crown in the premier category.

That English is good enough for Verstappen, 27 Lando Norris (McLaren) did not add three more points than he did last Sunday to mathematically proclaim himself world champion, for the fourth year in a row, in Las Vegas (USA).

Not only not so, but ‘Mad Max’ then fifth, one place ahead of the driver of Bristol boarda race in which the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) finished third and in which Mercedes celebrated a double: with victory for the Englishman George RussellI was ahead of his countryman who was a seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The Dutch star thus equals four German titles Sebastian Vettel -who also won four in a row for Red Bull (2010-13)- and the Frenchman Alain Prost. And now he is only ahead of him, in the historical relationship, the five-time Argentine champion Juan Manuel Fangio -the first great star of motorsports, in the 50s- and the two seven-time winners of the contest: the German Michael Schumacher and the aforementioned Sir Lewis.

Verstappen has 403 points, 63 more than Norris: an insurmountable distance in the last two Grands Prix: this weekend, in Qatar; and the next, which will close the longest World Cup in history in the twenty-fourth and final test, in Abu Dhabi.

Assuming the Englishman wins Saturday’s sprint and, with the fastest lap, the two remaining races; and if the Dutchman does not get a point in those three tests, the sports idol of the Netherlands will continue to add three points to the one who this year is his main rival.

From now until the closure of Yas Marina, the runner-up of the pilots remains to be decided – the Monegasque Charles LeclercSainz’s teammate, is 21 points behindand Norris– and the Constructors’ World Cup. Championship where McLaren (608) leads Ferrari by 24. And Red Bull, third – with 555 – is very difficult to win for the third year in a row, but still has a (remote) chance.

Before Hamilton replaces him, Sainz will contest his final two races with Ferrari – the Madrid native, who has won twice this year, will drive for Williams is to come – with the aim of polishing his impressive record in F1, where he has four wins, 26 podiums and six pole positions. His countryman is the Asturian double world champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), On the contrary, he just wanted to finish the course as soon as possible.

With 32 wins and 106 podiums in the premier class – eight of them last year, his first for the Silverstone team – Alonso has failed to make it onto the podium even once in 2024.

Fifth in Saudi Arabia, he was unable to return to match his best position in a season where only his immense talent and his great resilience at the age of 43 managed to squeeze a performance out of a poor AMR24. That, waiting for next year; and, above all, 2026: when the new technical regulations come into force and the new car designed by another genius, the Englishman Adrian Newey, makes its debut.

The Mexican Sergio Perez (Red Bull)last year’s world runner-up, could not go beyond eighth place – one ahead of Alonso – in a World Championship that began to go wrong after the sixth Grand Prix.

The ‘Czech’, with six F1 victories, finished third in the fifth race, in China, and has since been unsuccessfully waiting for his fortieth podium in the top division. One test later, in Miami (USA), he finished fourth; and from then on his best result in the next 16 races was sixth which he achieved in the Netherlands.

The brave driver from Guadalajara must correct the course in the last two races, because, despite having a contract for the next two years, he was questioned even by a senior official from his own team like the Austrian Helmut Marco.

He Argentine Franco Colapinto, who entered Williams at Monza (Italy) – a circuit recently renovated as a World Cup stop until 2031 – has made a more than pleasant impression in the seven Grands Prix he has participated in since then; where it got two points (Azerbaijan and United States).

The 21-year-old from Buenos Aires will continue his advanced course in the premier category at the Lusail circuit – with 5,419 meters of track and 16 curves (six of them left) -, located about 30 kilometers north of Qatari capital, Doha ; and thirteen of the stadium with the same name that hosted, two years ago, the World Cup final; which, led by Lionel Messi, won – after a penalty shootout – the national team against Kylian Mbappé’s France.

In Losail we will ride with tires from the hardest range of compounds: C1 (hard, distinguished by white stripes), C2 (medium, yellow stripes) and C3 (soft, red). The very hot and high humidity conditions last year – when the Grand Prix was held at the beginning of October – caused serious physical problems for most of the drivers.

This Friday the only free practice session will be held, a few hours before qualifying, with artificial light, which will prepare the grid for Saturday’s sprint. In a Grand Prize which debuted in 2021 – with victory for Hamilton and third place for Alonso -; that it was not played a year later, because of the soccer World Cup; and reached its third edition after Verstappen celebrated, with victory, his third crown in 2023.

The reduced test – about a third of the distance of the long and distributing points to the first eight: eight to the winner, seven to the second and so on up to the eighth, who got one – will be held a few hours before the main scheduled event , who will design the starting line for Sunday’s race. Planned for 57 laps, to complete a route of 308.6 kilometers; and that in both cases it will be decided at night and in artificial light