How the F1 Qatar GP tyre farce flattered McLaren and hurt Verstappen

The Formula 1 tyre furore rather overshadowed Max Verstappen’s 2023 world title coronation across the Qatar Grand Prix weekend. While he and Red Bull still delivered another stellar victory on Sunday to celebrate his championship triumph clinched in Saturday’s sprint, the mandated tyre stints put a different and slightly artificial appearance on proceedings

Updated Oct 9, 2023, 9:03 AM

Overall then, not exactly how Pirelli would have wanted to spend the Formula 1 race weekend preceding the announcement that it will remain as the championship’s sole tyre supplier until at least 2028.

Instead of sitting comfortably on that news, it had to work with the FIA to ensure there would be a Qatar Grand Prix at all in 2023. Such was the concern over the tyres being able to withstand repeated, sustained impacts on the high-speed Losail International Circuit’s newly installed ‘pyramid’ kerbs.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.