2023 F1 Qatar GP Qualifying: Top 5 conclusions

The 2023 F1 Qatar GP qualifying saw Max Verstappen secure his 10th pole position of the season as he kicked off the sprint weekend in style. He paced himself well and only until the first few laps of Q2 did it emerge that Verstappen was a significant distance ahead of everyone else.

Verstappen will be accompanied by George Russell on the front row of the F1 Qatar GP followed by Lewis Hamilton.

In a session that saw track limits infringement become the talking point, what were the key takeaways? Let's take a look.

2023 F1 Qatar GP Qualifying: Top 5 key takeaways

#1 Red Bull is going to be hard to overcome in 2024

Red Bull is enjoying roughly two to three-tenths over its competition in qualifying and the gap would be bigger in races. The fact that this team is accomplishing this with a car that has had so less upgrades over the season is astounding.

At the same time, it is scary because, for a chunk of the season, the team has been working on its 2024 challenger.

The 2023 F1 Qatar GP as well as the race in Japan showed one thing, Red Bull will be hard to beat next season.

#2 Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll are two drivers crumbling under pressure

It was the tiniest of margins with which Sergio Perez got eliminated. At the same time, even when he was not, he was in P10, saved by the skin of his teeth.

A driver in a Red Bull at the 2023 F1 Qatar GP where Max Verstappen for pole position by close to half a second should not find himself in that spot. Perez needs to be careful. The team is known to be impulsive, the Mexican would not want to be in a situation where he gets moved out.

Lance Stroll, on the other hand, was absolutely livid by how his qualifying went. There are some things that are starting to bother him but it's hard to understand whether the frustration was from the F1 media, or something internally.

Regardless, it does keep the fans occupied one way or the other.

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#3 The McLaren drivers have a few chinks in their armor

Both drivers missing out on qualifying higher was disappointing but it seems to have done one thing. It has shown that while the potential is surely there with this lineup, it still needs some fine-tuning in some places.

Lando Norris struggled to get things right all session. So did other drivers as well but that was a moment where he had to practice caution over anything else.

Oscar Piastri suffered from a similar fate although his first lap was still good enough for a P6. It should have been the McLaren duo instead of the Mercedes duo in P2 and P3 and that is certainly an opportunity missed for the two drivers.

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#4 Lusail Circuit is a MotoGP track masquerading as an F1 track

The Lusail circuit is scenic at night and it seems to give the drivers a lot of leeway in terms of pushing their cars without the worry of losing it into the barriers as well.

In all of this though, it seems far too obvious at this stage the track is certainly more suited to a MotoGP race than an F1 race. The curbs are flat, it's very easy to go off-track, the flow seems to be lacking to an extent and it's going to be very difficult to pull off overtakes on this track.

Originally, the F1 Qatar GP was supposed to be held on a new track with this one proving to be a makeshift. They might need to do just that because it's hard to think this is optimal racing.

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#5 Aston Martin continues to surprise

Aston Martin, at least in the hands of Fernando Alonso was surprisingly impressive this time around at the 2023 F1 Qatar GP.

Was it because of the somewhat cooler conditions of the track? Was it because the team found something this weekend? It's hard to pinpoint as even Alonso was a bit cryptic after the session as well.

Starting the race in P4 certainly gives Fernando Alonso an opportunity to pick up his second podium at the F1 Qatar GP.