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novembre 17, 2021 - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

2021 Qatar Grand Prix - Preview

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Formula One’s first visit to #qatar and the Losail International Circuit takes place this weekend

  • Toto Talks Qatar
  • Featured: What Can We Expect from the Losail International Circuit?
  • Stat Attack: #qatar and Beyond

Toto Talks Qatar

Last weekend in São Paulo was a triumph through adversity and I couldn’t be prouder of the fighting spirit from every member of our Team. Through each setback, our determination grew stronger, and this already close team grew tighter with every challenge thrown our way.

Lewis completed a stunning victory, which will rightly be talked about for years to come. For us, that victory is just one important step on our journey and our goal is clear. The disqualification on Saturday though, and the potential loss of three points, doesn’t make the challenge to fight for the Championship any easier. On Valtteri, he performed excellently all weekend, his Sprint victory on Saturday and podium on Sunday showed the strength of our pairing; their teamwork was fantastic.

We arrive in #qatar for a fresh challenge, a brand-new circuit for #f1 and one we can’t wait to race on. We have prepared as well as we can for a new track and the need to maximise our learnings from the opening practice sessions will be as important as ever. The performance picture from circuit to circuit remains unpredictable but as Brazil showed, even on the back foot, this team will always be there fighting.

The final race of a triple-header can sometimes test your energy levels but with just three races to decide both Championships, our motivation is greater than ever. Our focus is on channelling it in the most effective way.

What Can We Expect from the Losail International Circuit?

This weekend, Formula One makes its first visit to #qatar, with the Losail International Circuit hosting the final round of this triple-header. It’s a brand-new track for #f1, so, what can we expect from it?

What’s the track layout like?

The Losail International Circuit, located on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital city of Doha, first opened in 2004 and is a 5.418-kilometre layout; fairly middle-range in terms of lap length. Focus is very much on medium and high-speed corners, with a fast and flowing nature, in part due to it being used predominantly for motorcycle #racing.

There are 16 corners in total, 10 right-handers and six left-handers. The track’s main straight takes up over 1km of the total lap distance, before drivers hit the brakes for the Turn 1 hairpin. This will be the only DRS zone on the circuit.

A series of slower, tighter corners follow with Turns 4 to 9 putting significant temperature into the tyres and requiring drivers to be conscious of overheating, before the middle part of the lap which mostly features high-speed sweeping corners. The last section has a mix of corner speeds and types, with a slow right-hander leading the driver back onto the main straight.

The track is below average when it comes to corner speeds, so on the slower end of the scale, similar to the Hungaroring or Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The slowest corner on the track will be Turn 6, at around 100 km/h, with the fastest being Turn 13, taken at 260 km/h.

How challenging will it be for car set-up?

This is the first time Formula One has raced in #qatar, so it’s a step into the unknown for everyone. We have no historical data of the Losail International Circuit, so much more focus in the build-up to the event is in the virtual world, working on the computer simulations and driver-in-loop simulator running with the limited information we do have for the track.

The workload around the simulations is obviously higher, because we’re more dependent on them, and the simulator programme will be hard at work all through the week, including running on Friday to maximise the fresh learnings we receive from practice.

The circuit’s fast corners require a high downforce level, making #qatar one of the most sensitive of the year to downforce. With what is expected to be an abrasive track surface, it remains to be seen whether that will result in high-grip and efficient cornering performance, or simply high-wear and easy tyre warm-up for drivers.

Teams have limited info on specific track characteristics like bumps in the road so calculations on ride height, for example, will be explored during practice sessions, as teams look to gather data and build up their track knowledge as quickly as possible during Friday running.

Further information in the press release to download

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