F1 Qatar: the circus is ready for the penultimate round

We are about to witness the penultimate round of the 2025 F1 Championship, taking place this weekend in Qatar (on the bottom there is the complete weekend schedule) . The Losail circuit, which joined F1 only a few years ago and was previously used by Moto GP, does not feature sharp braking zones, as most corners are rounded. This reduces some of the on-track excitement: with fewer heavy braking points, overtaking opportunities are limited. Only one of the 14 corners is low-speed, five are medium, and seven are high-speed.

Teams will therefore focus on high-downforce aerodynamic setups, sacrificing some top speed. Heavily loaded front and rear wings will ensure good grip and excellent turn-in stability.

The F1 2025 championship situation and Losail track stats

Norris leads by 24 points over Verstappen and Piastri, who are forced to attempt the impossible. Another zero for McLaren ( Plank rule explained here) would mean arriving in Abu Dhabi with just a single point separating them from Red Bull. It would be a cinematic finale… but nothing is set in stone yet.

G6nJu-bWQAAdnyh-1024x576 F1 Qatar: the circus is ready for the penultimate round

The first F1 race at Losail took place in 2021. The GP circuit is 5.419 km long and will be covered 57 times in the race, totaling 308.611 km. The only DRS zonein Qatar is on the main straight. The first 370 meters from pole position to Turn 1 offer a key overtaking opportunity.

An interesting fact is the average lap speed, around 240 km/h, making Losail one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. Following numerous track limit violations in 2024, this year measures have been introduced: most high-speed corners now have gravel areas outside the track to discourage drivers from exceeding track limits. This appears to be an effective solution, proven in other instances before.

The Pirelli compounds and the full weekend schedule

For the entire Qatar GP weekend, Pirelli brings the C3 (red), C2 (yellow), and C1 (white) compounds, with 6, 4, and 2 sets available per team. For this Grand Prix, Pirelli has introduced a special rule: no set may cover more than 25 laps in the race, to prevent punctures that affected drivers last year. High-speed corners and sand on the track degrade tires quickly, increasing the risk of sudden punctures.

G61g_2uXkAAXyLy F1 Qatar: the circus is ready for the penultimate round

Here is the complete schedule for the F1 weekend, including tomorrow morning’s Sprint Race. As a result, there will be only one practice session on Friday: