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5 things that made 2024 Qatar Grand Prix worth watching

A pesky wing mirror stirred the race

For sure, 21°C never felt this hot. PHOTO FROM FORMULA 1

The penultimate round of the 2024 Formula 1 season was upon us, and it brought drama and chaos, mostly caused by a vehicle part on the loose. Nevertheless, the Qatar Grand Prix still had a constructor’s title in contention, and despite the cool weather that night, the papayas and the horses were feeling the heat.

Nothing can stop the reigning champion. Not even a reprimand. PHOTOS FROM FORMULA 1

1. The four-time world champion was unfazed by punishments. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was embroiled in a controversial move by the FIA after driving “unnecessarily slowly on the cooldown lap” during qualifying. It’s an odd move, considering drivers usually accelerate at low speeds after a tiring run, but he accepted the one-place grid penalty.

As a result, George Russell (Mercedes-AMG) was promoted to P1, hoping he could bring points to the Silver Arrows. But alas, the Dutchman had the upper hand in straight-line speed, and he immediately overtook the Brit in the first corner and spent the rest of the main race in front like a true champ.

Viewers weren't surprised by Lance Stroll's rookie move. PHOTOS FROM FORMULA 1

2. The first lap was chaos manifested. While the top 10 got through the first corner unscathed, five cars had the worst possible start imaginable.

Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) miscalculated the tightness of the turn and overshot, unintentionally taking Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Franco Colapinto (Williams) to the gravel trap. While the German escaped with a loose rear-left tire, the Frenchman’s and the Argentine’s runs ended prematurely.

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) pulled a rookie move toward Alex Albon (Williams) at Turn 5, and clipped his front-left wheel onto the FW46’s rear. “I knew [Stroll] was gonna do it,” said the Thai-Brit driver in an unsurprising tone. The Canadian had to retire shortly after, but not without serving a 10-second time penalty.

How a tiny piece could make or break a driver's race. PHOTOS FROM FORMULA 1

3. Nobody expected a wing mirror to shake up the competition. On Lap 30, Albon’s wing mirror was suddenly detached on the start-finish straight. The yellow flag was waved to slow any driver down, but nobody from the sideline came out to pick up the obvious debris on the track.

It wasn’t long until Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) drove over and shattered carbon fiber in all directions. Unfortunately, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-AMG) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) were the unlucky individuals who picked up the shards.

Could this be the end of the road for Sergio Perez? PHOTOS FROM FORMULA 1

The safety car was finally deployed, and as the mirror extraction occurred, the entire grid had to pass through the pit lane. However, the seven-time world champion was caught speeding past the entry line, earning him a drive-through penalty in addition to sitting with the backmarkers.

After the restart, Sergio Perez (Red Bull) had mechanical issues that saw an embarrassing spin from P5 to last place. The Mexican driver couldn’t engage the drive gear and had to abandon his RB20, which was expected by many.

If the finale didn't go their way, at least Qatar gave Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu positive closures. PHOTOS FROM FORMULA 1

4. The surprising stars came from the departing drivers. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) wowed the crowd after making multiple passing attempts at the first few corners against Yuki Tsunoda (RB) and Albon as if his career depended on it. The Dane might have ruffled their feathers with an investigation of cutting, but that turned null and resulted in a wonderful P9.

While Haas’s decent performance was somewhat expected, Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) finally got to shine, achieving a P8 finish and the first points of 2024 for the Swiss team. While this was partly due to a fourth of the grid being wiped out, there’s no doubt that the Chinese driver took advantage of the safety-car laps and maintained his composure.

Could Ferrari wrest the title next week? PHOTOS FROM FORMULA 1

5. The constructors fight between red and orange is boiling. While the title of drivers’ champion was already decided last week, the constructors’ is still up in the air, especially between McLaren and Ferrari. Lando Norris (McLaren) made the first move forward as he overtook Russell, widening the gap between himself and the two Prancing Horses.

However, he failed to slow down in time when the yellow flag was waved for the loose mirror, resulting in a devastating 10-second stop-go penalty. Despite dropping below the pecking order, Norris managed to secure P10 and a point for McLaren. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) took home P2, while Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was just behind at P3.

Now, Ferrari is 21 points behind McLaren, and Red Bull has lost its chance of regaining the championship. Will the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix settle the score between the two legendary teams? The final race of the season is scheduled for December 8 (9pm Philippine time).



Justin Young

Justin loves cars of all forms. Molded by motoring TV shows and Internet car culture, he sees the world from a different perspective that not many get to see every day.



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