After a Sprint qualifying with pole for Lando Norris, the McLaren driver will have to face an in-form George Russell and beat Oscar Piastri to get the desired eight points. Ferrari will have to come from behind if they want to stay alive in the battle for the Constructors’ Championship.

We have predicted the top 10 positions for the Qatar GP Sprint race, and encourage you, our readers, to make your own predictions for Saturday’s race as well. And don’t forget, it’s only the top eight drivers who score points in the Sprint race format…

F1 Sprint predictions at the Qatar Grand Prix

1: Lando Norris

Although Norris struggles to defend pole position usually as we all know, even if he loses the early lead to George Russell, the McLaren driver should still take the Sprint race win. The MCL38 has shown a strong pace on one lap and also in the long runs of FP1.

2: Oscar Piastri

Having not managed to execute a perfect lap that would have been good enough for him to qualify P2 in the Sprint Qualifying, the Australian driver is back in the top 3 of a starting grid since the Azerbaijan GP.

With Norris now out of the World Championship battle against Max Verstappen, the Woking-based team must use this weekend’s performance advantage over Ferrari to make a final push for their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.

3: George Russell

The Mercedes driver should suffer more than in Las Vegas despite proving in Sprint Qualifying that the W15 in cooler conditions is always competitive.

McLaren still seems to be the strongest team at the Losail circuit. Mercedes’ better graining management and the higher top speed than the MCL38 can play in their favour.

How do the drivers match up in the season head-to-heads?

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

4: Charles Leclerc

The Monégasque driver was once again overtaken by Carlos Sainz in Sprint qualifying. He will start P5 just behind the Spaniard and it is very likely that Ferrari’s radio will be on fire again if either of them fails to get close to the drivers in front in the opening laps…

It could be a very interesting battle between the two and how Ferrari manage this from the pitwall. No doubt they will have to be smart to maximise their chances.

5: Max Verstappen

The four-time World Champion will start P6. The RB20 always tends to wake up a bit more on race pace. Verstappen proved to be very strong in the high-speed corners and Red Bull’s greater aerodynamic efficiency on the straights could be key to overtaking.

6: Carlos Sainz

Sainz matched the head to head against Leclerc in Sprint Qualifying this season. After his superior race pace in Las Vegas, the Spaniard has a great opportunity to prove himself internally once again.

7: Lewis Hamilton

By his own admission, he said he’s not ‘fast anymore’. At least not this year in qualifying. But in the race, Hamilton always has an extra point of performance.

In the Sprint race, he should put the Ferrari in danger, as he did in Las Vegas. Mercedes is the big threat of the Italian team… the future team of Hamilton who is looking forward to a reset ahead of the 2025 season.

8: Pierre Gasly

After a disappointing DNF in Las Vegas after an incredible qualifying, Gasly has reestablished himself as the best driver outside the ‘Big Four’. The French driver is in great form and so is Alpine despite the nightmare in Nevada. The last points position in the Sprint race should go to him.

9: Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin looks a bit more competitive than in previous races. If Alonso is already able to put a struggling AMR24 near the top 10 with a poor car, with a car that seems a bit more even at this track and a desire for revenge after almost scoring points in Las Vegas, he should fight for the top 10.

10: Liam Lawson

The New Zealand driver made a great statement after entering SQ3 with Yuki Tsunoda, Sergio Perez and Franco Colapinto eliminated in SQ1. This is effectively what Red Bull is looking for from him. After a difficult race in Las Vegas, he should be in a good position to fight for the final points position -P8- in the Sprint race starting from P10.

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