2023 F1 Qatar GP: Top 5 predictions

The 2023 F1 Qatar GP brings a return to the sprint weekend. By the looks of it, not many are huge fans of the sprint weekend, especially when Max Verstappen could be crowned world champion on a Saturday. The sport returns to Qatar after a year's hiatus and so many things have changed since then.

Last time around, Lewis Hamilton put together a dominant weekend in his title battle with Max Verstappen. What can we expect this time around? Let's take a look.

#1 Max Verstappen wins both the sprint and the 2023 F1 Qatar GP

The track layout for Qatar GP should suit Red Bull and while there is a possibility of a challenge from Ferrari, Max Verstappen should hold the edge in terms of race pace.

The Dutchman does not love the sprint weekends much but since that loss in Baku against Sergio Perez, he has learned to apply himself more to the task at hand.

Unless there are some uncharacteristic slip-ups, Verstappen is all set to win his world title during the 2023 F1 Qatar GP weekend while standing on the top step of the podium in both races.

#2 Charles Leclerc secures pole position for both the sprint and the 2023 F1 Qatar GP

Charles Leclerc got a much important confidence boost following his weekend in Japan. He was finally able to exorcise a lot of his demons and get the better of his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.

Although it was still quite competitive between the two teammates and the gap was not what Leclerc tends to have when he's on form, he still beat Sainz, and that's the most important thing at this stage.

For the 2023 F1 Qatar GP, Ferrari should be competitive, the long straight is one area where the car should make up time plus the track does not feature too many fast speed sections that could play in the hands of McLaren.

The Italian team should be competitive here and we're backing Charles Leclerc to secure pole position for both the sprint and the main race.

#3 No Mercedes drivers on the podium while Sergio Perez secures one

Mercedes might struggle with the long straight at Qatar. While the track is not necessarily one where you need a low downforce setup, the efficiency on the straights plays its part in the final lap time.

Mercedes has struggled in these configurations and this should ideally play into the hands of teams like Red Bull and Ferrari.

It will be tough and maybe a bit of a surprise as well to see a Mercedes driver on the podium this weekend, especially with Sergio Perez making the most of a track where Red Bull should be strong and there are enough opportunities to pull off overtakes.

We're backing Perez to get a podium this weekend while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggle to get one.

#4 Lance Stroll doesn't score points

The low downforce demands in the long straight means Aston Martin is going to struggle a lot in that section. The car has already lost touch with the top four as it tries to hold on to its place in the points-scoring positions.

When that happens, you can expect the genius in Fernando Alonso to pull things off and drag the results out of the car. You cannot, however, expect the same from Lance Stroll. He is going through a rough patch and it's safe to say that there is a certain level of pressure that has been built up on Stroll recently.

Unfortunately for the 2023 F1 Qatar GP, expect the pressure to only ramp up as Aston Martin might struggle this weekend and that will work against Stroll as well.

Another weekend where he finishes outside of the top 10 as the pressure mounts on the Canadian.

#5 Alpine beats Aston Martin this weekend

Aston Martin was more or less on par with Alpine in Japan with Alonso having a tenth or two in hand over a lap. The track layout for the 2023 F1 Qatar GP is somewhat detrimental on that front because the long straight could prove to be an advantage for Alpine, a car that tends to work well in the low downforce sections compared to Aston Martin.

This weekend, we could see Aston Martin losing out to the French squad as the track layout and a lack of development on the car hurt the team.