Formula 1: Qatar Grand Prix – Copybet
Formula 1 2025 has entered the finishing straight with the second stop of the season-ending triple-header coming up in the form of this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.
It's a sprint weekend, which means only one practice session to fine-tune the cars and extra points on offer.
Qatar Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri led the championship for most of the season, but the early pacesetter, his McLaren team-mate Lando Noirris, is finishing the year strongly and holds a 24-point advantage heading into the final two rounds.
If Norris can increase the gap to 26 points by the end of the weekend he will be crowned world champion no matter what happens in next week's finale in Abu Dhabi.
The Bristolian's task would be a lot easier had he, along with Piastri, not been disqualified in Las Vegas last weekend. Norris crossed the line second with Piastri fourth, and the Briton would have 18 more points had he not been thrown out for excessive wear to the skidblocks beneath the car.
Norris has finished ahead of Piastri in each of the last seven races, and he will be much more concerned about the threat of defending four-time champion Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman is level on points with Piastri, 24 behind Norris, having been over 100 points adrift eight races ago.
Verstappen has won four of the last seven races, including last week in Vegas, but Norris won the two previous events in Sao Paulo and Mexico City and looks underrated in the market.
The fast corners of the Losail Circuit should suit the McLaren well, and Norris has shown his raw speed by taking pole position at each of the last three races.
Qatar Grand Prix
It's easy to underestimate the mental fortitude and stamina it takes to negotiate a 24-race F1 season, and Pierre Gasly copes better than most, often putting in strong performances towards the end of a campaign.
This has not been an easy season for the Alpine team, but Gasly ended a run of eight early exits from qualifying by reaching the top-10 shootout in Sao Paulo and repeating the feat in Las Vegas last week.
He finished 10th in Brazil for his fifth points-scoring performance of the year, but was an innocent victim in a first-turn melee in Sin City and limped home 13th.
Gasly finished a brilliant fifth in Qatar last season and he looks a nice price to pick up points in Losail this time around.