2025 F1 Qatar GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 F1 Qatar GP will be the second-to-last race of the season, and for a change, we still have a title on the line. The shocker of the Las Vegas GP has left us with three different contenders in Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri.

The Qatar GP is going to be a sprint weekend as well, hence everyone would have to be on their toes from the get-go. The races at the Losail International circuit have been hit and miss. Much has been made about the kerbs potentially causing punctures to the tires, and we saw that playing a role in the last couple of years as well.

What can we expect this time around as the tensions continue to rise? Let's take a look as we preview the F1 Qatar GP.

2025 F1 Qatar GP: Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The title permutations

Lando Norris leads the championship by 24 points from Max Verstappen, who is tied with Oscar Piastri. At the start of the second half of the season, if anyone had made such a claim, he would have been laughed out of the room. But here we are!

We've reached a point where if Lando Norris outscores Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri by more than a point this weekend, then he will be champion. But it's still all to play for.

#2 Who aces these conditions?

This is arguably a tougher question because every indicator will tell you that this track should be where McLaren excels. The fast speed sections and the long corners are the car's forte. However, at the same time, it would be remiss to forget that Max Verstappen won the F1 Qatar GP last season, and he did so in a Red Bull that was arguably a much worse package than what it is right now.

Add to this the jeopardy of a maximum of a 25-lap stint on any tire, and we're looking at a lot of variables at play.

#3 Lewis Hamilton's painful stint at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton became the first Ferrari driver since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009 to qualify in P20 on pace. The race wasn't much better either, as after the race weekend, the driver conceded that he's not looking forward to 2026. While all of that is true to a certain extent, there has to be a moment of looking in the mirror for the driver.

His performances have also not been up to par, and by race #23 of the season, you're out of excuses. The last couple of races would be telling for the driver and potentially his future in the sport.

Form Guide

In Form

Max Verstappen is the driver that is in red-hot form right now. The driver has won the last two iterations of the F1 Qatar GP and would be looking at this weekend as the next step in getting close to clinching his fifth championship.

Out of Form

Gabriel Bortoleto has had a couple of stinkers lately in Brazil and Las Vegas, where he's been unable to even see the chequered flag. The Brazilian will have a five-place grid penalty to serve this weekend as well due to his first-turn collision in the last race.

After a strong start to the year and an even better middle, Bortoleto seems to be stumbling a bit recently.

Driver with the biggest spotlight

It is hard to look beyond Lando Norris as the championship leader comes into this race with question marks hanging over his head. If it's not him making errors, it's been McLaren that have done so.

The Brit has certainly shown a level of calm in the last few races that we haven't seen from him in general. Will he be able to keep a cool head now, with Max Verstappen breathing down his neck? It would be worth keeping an eye on how he deals with the race weekend.

2025 F1 Qatar GP: Predictions

Who wins the race?

On paper, McLaren should hold an advantage over the rest of the field, but the gains made by Red Bull cannot be ignored. The car is much better now than it has been in the past.

To add to this, even when the team was reeling with issues, Max Verstappen won the F1 Qatar GP in 2024 owing to brilliant race management that was coupled with strong qualifying.

When it comes to the big stage, there aren't many drivers that shine like Max Verstappen, and it's hard to look beyond him as we pick him as our favorite to win the F1 Qatar GP.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Team)

This might be the weekend where Sauber ends up jumping to the front of the midfield. The car has often been strong around this track, and even last year the team scored points here.

This year, the car is much improved, and there's a better understanding of the dynamics involved. This might be the one where we see Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto surging and making the most of the car's potential.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Driver)

Kimi Antonelli has been a driver who has continued to improve in the last few races and has now bagged as many as three podiums in his rookie season. The young Italian is coming to the F1 Qatar GP on the back of a few positive races now.

The track should suit Mercedes, and for young Kimi, the next step would be to get the better of his teammate George Russell. It would be interesting to see if he can accomplish that here.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Team)

Charles Leclerc finished P2 in the Qatar GP last season, but that was also a result of quite a few drivers falling by the wayside as the race progressed.

This time around, it might be a bit hard to achieve such a thing because Ferrari's characteristics in general and the track don't necessarily resonate, and as a result, we might see the Italian team be a step behind the top 3.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Driver)

It's not a good thing to continue to put Lewis Hamilton in this bracket, but the momentum is as good as dead for the British driver. The driver doesn't have the confidence that his teammate has, and to make things worse, the race execution is not there either.

This weekend, Ferrari might struggle compared to the top three teams, which leaves them vulnerable to an ever-competitive midfield group that's looking to attack and pick up the pieces wherever possible.