27–29 Nov · Lusail · Round 22
Weekend previewQatar Grand Prix 2026 predictions
A night race in Doha heat on a circuit built for motorcycles, one of the hardest on tyres all season, where the pit stops decide the order.
- Practice 1
- Fri 27 Nov, 16:30
- Practice 2
- Fri 27 Nov, 20:00
- Practice 3
- Sat 28 Nov, 17:30
- Qualifying
- Sat 28 Nov, 21:00
- Grand Prix
- Sun 29 Nov, 19:00
The Lusail International Circuit
The lap is 5.419 km with 16 corners, ten of them right-handers, and the Grand Prix runs for 57 laps. The main straight is over a kilometre long, and the braking zone at the end of it into Turn 1 is where most of the overtaking happens. The rest of the lap is a run of medium and high-speed corners, and the stretch from Turns 12 to 14 is the part that works the tyres hardest. Formula 1’s circuit page (opens in a new tab) and Pirelli’s circuit notes (opens in a new tab).
The race is at night, but the heat and humidity are closer to Singapore than to Las Vegas the week before: the track keeps the heat of the day, and in past years some drivers have felt unwell by the finish. Sand blows onto the circuit from the desert, so grip changes through the weekend. In 2025 Qatar was the last sprint of the season. In 2026 it is a standard weekend with three practice sessions. Pirelli’s 2025 preview (opens in a new tab) and the 2026 schedule (opens in a new tab).
A lap limit on every set forced two stops in 2025
Pirelli has only ever brought its three hardest compounds here, C1, C2 and C3, because the energy the tyres take through the fast corners is close to Suzuka’s. The surface is smooth, which tends to produce graining, and that in turn produces a high wear rate. Pirelli’s 2025 preview (opens in a new tab).
In 2024 the field managed its tyres well enough to make a one-stop race work, and several tyres, the left fronts in particular, reached the maximum wear level in doing so. For 2025 Pirelli, the FIA and Formula 1 responded with a limit of 25 laps per set across the whole weekend, counted through every session including laps behind the Safety Car. Over 57 laps that meant at least two pit stops for everyone, and Pirelli told each team before the start how many laps each set had left. A similar limit had been used in 2023, when the kerbs were cutting the sidewalls; the kerbs were changed for 2024. Whether the limit returns in 2026 is announced in the two weeks before the race. Pirelli’s 2025 prescription (opens in a new tab).
Verstappen won from third while McLaren stayed out
Oscar Piastri started from pole with Lando Norris beside him, and Max Verstappen passed Norris on the run to Turn 1 from third. A few laps in, Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly collided at Turn 1 and the Safety Car came out just inside the window where the remaining 50 laps could be covered with one more stop. Everyone pitted for the first of their two mandatory stops except the two McLarens, which stayed out and still had both stops to make. Piastri got back to second on fresh tyres; Norris came out behind Carlos Sainz and Kimi Antonelli and only passed Antonelli on the penultimate lap. Verstappen won by eight seconds and took the title fight to Abu Dhabi. The 2025 race report (opens in a new tab).
The official top five was Verstappen, Piastri, Sainz, Norris and Antonelli. Sainz’s third was his second podium of the season for Williams. Verstappen has won the last three races here, and Lewis Hamilton won the first, from pole, in 2021. The official classification (opens in a new tab) and Pirelli’s statistics (opens in a new tab).
Make your Lusail picks
Choose five drivers for qualifying and five for the race. Saving them needs a free account.
See where players stand on the leaderboard, or make picks for this weekend.
Championship standings
After 17 rounds, Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ table by 102 points from George Russell. 4 rounds still have to be scored, so this table will change before Lusail.
View full 2026 standingsDrivers
After 17 rounds- 1Kimi Antonelli340 pts
- 2George Russell238 pts
- 3Lewis Hamilton229 pts
- 4Max Verstappen221 pts
- 5Charles Leclerc215 pts
- 6Lando Norris201 pts
Scored through round 17, updated 11 Oct 2026.
Common questions
When is the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix?
The race starts at 19:00 Qatar time on Sunday 29 November 2026. Practice begins on Friday 27 November, and qualifying starts at 21:00 on Saturday 28 November.
Who won the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen, from third on the grid. Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz completed the podium after McLaren kept both cars out under an early Safety Car.