In the battle for 6th place in the Constructors’ Championship between Haas and Alpine, with the American team currently leading Enstone by just one point, Racing Bulls is also fully in the running for this result. This is evident in the four-point gap separating the Faenza-based team from Haas, a margin that shrank thanks to Yuki Tsunoda’s ninth-place finish in the Las Vegas GP.
The Japanese driver appears particularly optimistic about the upcoming opportunity to recover more points at the Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, especially after the positive impressions from the previous weekend: “From FP2 onwards in Las Vegas, we improved our understanding of how to manage the car, and we hope this continues this weekend,” he explained. “I’m optimistic that we can have another successful race, despite moving from a track with long, high-speed straights and 90-degree corners to one with fast and flowing turns. Last year’s very hot conditions in Qatar didn’t affect me too much, but with the race being held a month later this time, the weather seems much nicer. Last year, all drivers were limited to a maximum of 18 laps on a single set of tires due to an issue with the curbs, but that’s been resolved now, so in terms of race strategy, we’re starting from a clean slate. With just an hour of practice before Sprint Qualifying, I’ll focus on performance so we can keep fighting for sixth place in the Constructors’ standings.”
At Lusail in 2023, Liam Lawson competed in his final F1 race before Daniel Ricciardo returned to AlphaTauri after recovering from his injury. It was a weekend in which the New Zealander, like all the other drivers, struggled with the scorching temperatures of Lusail, which are expected to be milder this weekend. This could be an important factor in reaching the points zone and helping the team move closer to 6th place in the championship: “Qatar is a very tough track; it was probably the most exhausting race I did last year,” he recalled. “The temperature was quite hot, so I hope it’ll be cooler this year. The track is also very fast, and I’m looking forward to driving. It’s a Sprint weekend, which makes it challenging; we have to push very hard, quite early, to ensure we’re in a good window for Sprint Qualifying. It’s a weekend where we need to score points to stay in the fight for P6, so we’ll make sure to maximize the car’s potential.”
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