2023 Qatar Grand Prix
The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2023) was a Formula One motor race held on 8 October 2023 at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar. It was the seventeenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship and the fourth Grand Prix weekend of the season to utilise the sprint format. Max Verstappen won his third Driver's Championship after his teammate, Sergio Pérez, crashed out in the sprint and was taken out of title contention.
| 2023 Qatar Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 17 of 22 in the 2023 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Lusail International Circuit | |||||
| Race details | |||||
| Date | 8 October 2023 | ||||
| Official name | Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2023 | ||||
| Location |
Lusail International Circuit Lusail, Qatar | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.419 km (3.367 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 57 laps, 308.611 km (191.762 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Clear | ||||
| Attendance | 120,000 | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver |
| Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | |||
| Time | 1:23.778 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | |||
| Time | 1:24.319 on lap 56 (lap record) | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First |
| Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | |||
| Second | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
| Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
Verstappen secured pole position for the race during qualifying, before finishing third in the sprint shootout behind McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri in first and Lando Norris in second, the former of whom went on to win the sprint. In the main race, Verstappen led all laps, set the fastest lap time, and won ahead of Piastri and Norris, scoring his fourth grand chelem.
The drivers were severely affected by the extreme heat throughout the weekend, with several calling the race the most difficult they had ever experienced. The difficulty was also exacerbated by the last-minute implementation of an 18-lap maximum tyre stint, recommended by Pirelli and enforced by the FIA. The mandate, the first of its kind in Formula One, came in response to observations of a separation between the carcass cord and the topping compound on the tyres, which could lead to a blow out.