The Max Verstappen roadshow rolls into Lusail for this week's Qatar Grand Prix where the Dutchman can secure a third championship
It is only the 17th of this year's 22 races, but Red Bull star Verstappen is poised to wrap up his third Formula 1 Drivers' Championship in Saturday's sprint race, in which he needs only to finish sixth or better.
Any suggestion Red Bull may have gone in a wrong direction following their disappointing showing in Singapore was disproved in Japan last time, where the Dutchman destroyed the field in both qualifying and the race.
With Lusail placing similar demands on the cars, a familiar story is likely to be played out this weekend, and Verstappen is a prohibitively short price to land his 14th victory of the season.
- Both Ferraris top-six finish
- Oscar Piastri podium finish
Ferrari To Keep Pressure On Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton has spent a good portion of his illustrious career fighting with Ferrari drivers for championship honours.
While the stakes aren't quite so high this year, there is a fierce battle developing between the two great teams for second place in the constructors' standings behind Red Bull, who have already wrapped up the manufacturers' title.
It has been an inconsistent season for Ferrari, who have excelled at circuits with short, sharp corners but struggled at more aero-dependent tracks.
They seem to be getting things together recently though, and outscored Mercedes for the fifth straight race weekend as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and sixth at Suzuka last time out.
Hamilton and his team-mate George Russell ended up fifth and seventh that day as, for the second race in a row, a strategic gamble from Russell failed to pay off.
The two historic giants of the sport look set to be closely matched again in Qatar, and Ferrari are an attractive bet to bring both cars home in the top six for the fourth straight race.
Piastri To Build On Maiden Podium
McLaren's resurgence has arguably been the story of the second half of the season, and their rookie driver Oscar Piastri has certainly played his part.
As lead driver, Lando Norris has been first to sport McLaren's latest parts on his car, but Piastri has patiently waited his turn and made the most of his opportunities.
The Australian was unlucky not to pick up his first podium at Silverstone, when a badly-timed safety car proved costly, but he came good in Japan, where he also qualified on the front row.
That performance was particularly impressive as he had never driven the challenging Suzuka circuit before.
Lusail has hosted only one previous race, which was in 2021, when the cars were very different, so his inexperience will not be such a factor.
The second Red Bull of Sergio Perez and the McLaren pair are likely to battle it out for the two remaining podium spots behind Verstappen on Sunday, and with Piastri going from strength to strength, he could be the value option.
