06 October 2023 , 14:16
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Formula 1 drivers put up with extremely difficult conditions as the low sun and a huge amount of sand marred the only practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.
F1 returns to the Losail International Circuit for the second time this year. It debuted on the calendar in 2021, taking a year off for the football World Cup before returning this weekend.
Compared to most other F1 events, the circuit is a something of a ghost town. There are no support events, which means that no rubber is being laid down on the track other than what comes off the tyres of the F1 cars.
And that's not the only factor affecting grip levels. The breeze has been carrying sand from the desert onto the circuit, so much so that even when cars trundle slowly down the pit lane a plume of sand is thrown up into the air.
It was causing plenty of grip issues at the start of practice on Friday afternoon. The session got under way at 4.30pm local time, early evening, with the sun beginning to set.
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That meant the track was much warmer than it will be for the competitive sessions this weekend. Those temperatures, combined with the newly-resurfaced circuit, lack of rubber and the sand, made it very tricky for the drivers to find the grip they needed to push hard.
Max Verstappen was among the first to point out just how much of a struggle it was. The Dutchman was almost laughing as he reported to his Red Bull team over the radio: "Oh my god, it's so slippery!" And regarding the time of day he added: "I can't see anything. I don't know why but the sun makes you not see anything."
Carlos Sainz was another who complained about the lack of grip. He referred to his rallying champion father, Carlos Snr, as he joked to his Ferrari race engineer: "Yeah, my dad would do quick [sic] in these conditions."
It was far from ideal, especially as it was the only practice session the drivers will have this weekend. The Sprint format means qualifying moves forward to Friday, Saturday sees the Sprint Shootout followed by the short-form race, before the main Grand Prix on Sunday.
Parc ferme rules still apply as normal, meaning teams have only what data they collect during that practice session to decide their set-ups for the rest of the weekend. And, once qualifying begins, any changes they make to those set-ups will incur penalties.