2025 Qatar Grand Prix: Fast Facts

The Qatar Grand Prix is the penultimate race of the season and the last to be run to the Sprint format. It comes just one week on from Las Vegas, 13,000 kilometres as the crow flies from this week’s venue in Lusail. Both races and indeed the final one in Abu Dhabi take place at night, but the weather could not be more different.

Conditions were cold on track in the Nevada desert, but in Qatar, drivers will have to deal with heat and humidity similar to that experienced in Singapore. The Middle Eastern track is particularly demanding for the tyres, and that has led to the introduction of an exceptional measure, restricting the number of laps that can be completed per tyre set. This means the drivers will have to change tyres at least twice during the race.

The Compounds

The three hardest compounds in the Pirelli range have been selected for Doha. The C1, C2 and C3 are the obvious choice at a track where tyres are subjected to energy levels similar to those experienced in Suzuka and indeed, these are the only compounds that have ever been run for this Grand Prix. This trio of compounds has previously been used three times this year, all in the early part of the season, in Japan, Bahrain and Spain.

Most of the corners at the Lusail track are high speed, which means the tyres have little time to recover, and the section which works them the hardest is from turns 12 to 14. The track surface, which is quite smooth, has usually led to graining, which contributes to producing a high wear rate on the tyres.

The Track

The Lusail International Circuit was originally conceived as a motorcycle racing track, which is clear from its rather unique layout; fast and twisty with a straight that is over a kilometre in length. The circuit on the outskirts of Doha presents the drivers, cars and tyres with some unusual challenges. It boasts 16 corners, ten of them right-handers, while its desert location means that sand often gets blown onto the track, inevitably influencing track evolution. In an effort to prevent this, there are several areas of artificial grass around the circuit.

High temperatures are a distinctive feature of the Qatar weekend. Even though the race is held at night, the high humidity, added to the residual heat built up during daylight hours, makes the cockpit a very demanding environment, to the extent that, in previous years, some drivers have felt unwell come the end of the Grand Prix.

From a tyre point of view, track temperature can lead to the appearance of graining even if, as is clear from earlier races this year, the current range of compounds seems to be more resistant to this phenomenon.

The Stats

This weekend’s race will be the fourth running of the Qatar Grand Prix, previously held in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Doha, having won for the past two years, which also makes Red Bull Racing the constructor with the most wins.

In 2023, the Dutchman sealed the championship title in the Qatari capital. He has also set two of the three fastest race laps, but has only started from pole position once.

In 2021, Lewis Hamilton won from pole position for Mercedes.

How to Watch the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans around the globe can catch all the action from the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix through various broadcasters and streaming services.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with comprehensive coverage of the practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself.

For fans in the United States, the Qatar Grand Prix will be available through ESPN and its associated channels. ESPN offers extensive coverage of F1, including live broadcasts and replays. Cord-cutters can also stream the race live through various over-the-top (OTT) services that carry ESPN channels.

Viewers in Australia can tune in to watch the Grand Prix weekend unfold live on Fox Sports, which offers complete coverage of F1 races. For online streaming, fans can subscribe to Kayo Sports, a streaming platform that includes all Fox Sports content.

Additionally, F1 TV Pro offers live streaming of every track session to viewers in many countries worldwide.

This subscription service provides access to onboard cameras, team radios, live timing, and more, for an immersive viewing experience.

Remember to check the local listings and services for the most up-to-date information regarding broadcast times and availability in your region.

Qatar Grand Prix Fast Facts

• Following F1’s inaugural visit to the Lusail International Circuit back in 2021, the circuit was completely resurfaced ahead of its second race in 2023 with a completely new pit and paddock complex constructed in the run up to the race.
• This included larger pit garages, new team buildings, and new access tunnels.
• Temperatures during the day in Doha can reach close to 40°C, and several drivers found the conditions incredibly tough in 2023, as the race was held earlier in the year in early October.
• The track has a fast and flowing nature as it is predominantly used for motorcycle racing.
• There is only one corner, Turn Six, that sees the minimum speed drop below 100 km/h.
• There are therefore no heavy braking events for the cars to tackle, a unique occurrence on the 2025 calendar.
• While the braking energy requirement is low, there are still six braking events that the cars encounter across the lap.
• Pirelli have announced that a limit of 25 laps per tyre will be introduced over the course of the whole race weekend. With the field set for a 57-lap Grand Prix, it means each driver will be stopping at least twice during the race.
• There are 16 corners in total: 10 to the right and six to the left. The track’s main straight covers over 1km of the total lap distance and is the sole DRS zone on the circuit.
• The pit lane in Qatar is the third longest of any circuit we visit on the calendar, behind only Imola and Silverstone. It clocks in at 502m, and the expected pit lane time is over 20 seconds.
• Lewis Hamilton won the first Qatar Grand Prix for Mercedes in 2021.
• This will be the third year in a row that the circuit has hosted an F1 Sprint Race weekend.
• Red Bull Racing enter this weekend’s Sprint just six laps shy of reaching 250 laps led in the format. No other constructor has led more than 100.
• Max Verstappen leads the Sprint points this season with 27, four more than Lando Norris and six ahead of Oscar Piastri.
• In Qatar GP history, every winner has qualified on Pole and led all 57 laps on the way to victory.