The penultimate round of the season, the Qatar Grand Prix, which includes a sprint, could allow McLaren to take a further step towards the constructors’ title. But Ferrari has not said its last word.
The antepenultimate Grand Prix of the season, in Las Vegas last weekend, put an end to a suspense that was no longer really one over the identity of the 2024 world champion. Despite a not always rosy year, Max Verstappen won his fourth world crown in Texas, joining Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel in fourth place among the most successful Formula 1 drivers. The last two races on the calendar are not without interest. Notably because the positions in the constructors’ world championship – which brings in several tens of millions of euros for the teams – are not fixed. Especially for first place.
After overtaking Red Bull at the end of the summer, McLaren moved into the leadership chair. But the British team’s lead is far from sufficient to approach the last two races of the year with confidence. If Red Bull, weighed down by the poor performances of Sergio Perez, is now too far behind, at 53 points, Ferrari has returned very strongly to the title race in recent weeks. The Scuderia is now only 24 points behind McLaren. And the disappointing sixth and seventh places taken in Vegas by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri gave even more reasons to believe in it to Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, respectively 3rd and 4th last Sunday.
Although beaten by the Mercedes in Texas, the Ferraris finished the season with a bang. And the Qatar Grand Prix, with its sprint race, is the perfect opportunity to get a little closer before the finale in Abu Dhabi on December 8. Points will therefore be at stake from Saturday afternoon on the Lusail circuit, located around thirty kilometers from Doha. To follow this first key meeting of the weekend, you will need to turn on your screen from 3 p.m. The Grand Prix, which earns many more points (25 points for the winner compared to 8 for the sprint), is scheduled for the next day at 5 p.m.
What time to watch the Qatar Grand Prix?
The Qatar Grand Prix is the penultimate of the season and the last to include a sprint race. The single-seaters will set their wheels on the Lusail circuit early Friday afternoon (French time) while the starts of the sprint race and the Grand Prix will be given respectively on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, at 3 and 5 p.m.
- Free practice 1 at 2:30 p.m. on Friday November 29 (duration: 1 hour)
- Sprint qualifying at 6:30 p.m. Friday November 29 (duration: 1 hour)
- Sprint race at 3 p.m. on Saturday November 30 (duration: 1 hour)
- Qualifying at 7 p.m. on Saturday November 30 (duration: 45 minutes)
- Grand Prix at 5 p.m. on Sunday 1is December (duration: 2 hours maximum)
On which TV channel to watch the Qatar Grand Prix?
The Qatar Grand Prix will be broadcast exclusively on the channels of the Canal group, holder of the rights to the Formula 1 world championship. The different channels will share the event since Free Practice 1, sprint qualifying, classic qualifying as well as the sprint race will be broadcast on Canal+ Sport while the Grand Prix, Sunday afternoon, will be broadcast on Canal+.
- Friday: Free 1 at 2:15 p.m. + Sprint qualifying at 6:15 p.m. on Canal+ Sport
- Saturday: Sprint race at 2:45 p.m. + Qualifying at 6:40 p.m. on Canal+ Sport
- Sunday: “La Grille” show at 4 p.m. + departure of the Grand Prix at 5 p.m. on Canal+
Drivers’ World Championship ranking (22/24 Grand Prix)
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 403 points
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) 340 points
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 319 points
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 268 points
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 259 points
6. George Russell (Mercedes) 217 points
7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 208 points
8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 152 points
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 62 points
10. Niko Hülkenberg (Haas) 35 points
11. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) 30 points
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 26 points
13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 24 points
14. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 23 points
15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 14 points
16. Alex Albon (Williams) 12 points
16. Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls) 12 points
18. Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) 7 points
19. Franco Colapinto (Williams) 5 points
20. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 4 points
What are the dates for the F1 Grands Prix in 2024?
The 2024 Formula 1 season will have 24 Grands Prix. It began at the end of February in Bahrain and will end at the beginning of December in Abu Dhabi. Here is the complete F1 2024 calendar with times given in French time:
1. Bahrain: Saturday March 2 (Winner: Verstappen)
2. Saudi Arabia (Jeddah): Saturday March 9 (Winner: Verstappen)
3. Australia (Melbourne): Sunday March 24 (Winner: Sainz)
4. Jfather-in-law (Suzuka) : Sunday April 7 (Winner: Verstappen)
5. Chine (Shanghai) : Sunday April 21 (Winner: Verstappen)
6. Miami (Miami) : Sunday May 5 at 10 p.m. (Winner: Norris)
7. Emilia-Romagna (Imola) : Sunday May 19 (Winner: Verstappen)
8. Monaco : Sunday May 26 (Winner: Leclerc)
9. Canada (Montreal): Sunday June 9 (Winner: Verstappen)
10. Spain (Barcelona): Sunday June 23 (Winner: Verstappen)
11. Austria (Spielberg): Sunday June 30 (Winner: Russell)
12. Great Britain (Silverstone): Sunday July 7 (Winner: Hamilton)
13. Hongrie (Budapest): Sunday July 21 (Winner: Piastri)
14. Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) : Sunday July 28 (Winner: Hamilton)
15. Pays-Bas (Zandvoort) : Sunday August 25 (Winner: Norris)
16. Italy (Monza): Sunday September 1 (Winner: Leclerc)
17. Azerbaijan (Baku): Sunday September 15 (Winner: Piastri)
18. Singapore (Marina Bay): Sunday September 22 (Winner: Norris)
19. United States (Austin): Sunday October 20 (Winner: Leclerc)
20. Mexico (Mexico): Sunday October 27 (Winner: Sainz)
21. Brazil (Interlagos): Sunday November 3 (Winner: Verstappen)
22. Las Vegas (Las Vegas) : Sunday November 24 (Winner: Russell)
23. Qatar (Losail): Sunday December 1st at 5 p.m.
24. Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina) : Sunday December 8 at 2 p.m.
