Red Bull looks set to dominate in Qatar, with even their closest rivals expecting Max Verstappen to shine on the smooth, high-speed circuit.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, fresh off a sixth-place finish in Las Vegas, isn’t mincing words about who’s favored to win.
“Red Bull is still, by a mile, the best car at high speed,” Norris said. “I’m not expecting us to be the favorites.”
It’s a track that seems tailor-made for Verstappen’s RB20. Unlike some circuits where bumps and slow corners can throw the car off balance, Qatar’s smooth surface plays right into Red Bull’s strengths.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko saw this coming weeks ago, specifically pointing to Qatar as their next likely victory.
For McLaren, it’s a tricky situation. They’re leading the constructors’ championship heading into this penultimate round, but they know they’re up against it.
Oscar Piastri isn’t taking anything for granted, even though McLaren performed well here last year.
“We can’t just assume that it’s going to be good for us and everything will be fine,” the Australian driver said. “We need to be on our toes.”
The battle with Ferrari for constructor points adds another layer of pressure. McLaren needs to “build the gap,” as Piastri puts it, but they’ll have their work cut out for them with Red Bull looking so strong.
Verstappen’s already grabbed eight wins this season. Qatar might just make it nine.
