Prime Tire Newsletter | This is The Athletic’s twice-weekly F1 newsletter. Sign up here to receive Prime Tire directly in your inbox.
Welcome back to Prime Tire, where we’re wondering why nobody told us there’d be so much math involved in sports journalism.
We’ll get to yesterday’s Qatar GP in a second, but first …
A Showdown Looms
The finale will decide the constructors’ title
We were all set to cover McLaren’s first team championship in 26 years yesterday (it needed to outscore Ferrari by 15 points in the GP to clinch). Instead, after one of the wildest GPs of the year, we head to Abu Dhabi this weekend to crown a team champ.
Ferrari needs to score 22 points more than McLaren to win. The max points haul any team can get next weekend is 40. Let’s meet our contestants.
Contender No. 1: McLaren
MCLAREN WINS IF … it stays ahead of Ferrari. McLaren has more flexibility, as it only needs to prevent Ferrari from outscoring it by 22 points. For instance: Even if Ferrari wins the race, McLaren will clinch the title if it finishes second and fourth.
Contender No. 2: Ferrari
- Points: 619
- Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz
- Known for: Arguing and aviation
FERRARI WINS IF … it pulls off a near-perfect race. Ferrari needs an aggressive strategy, targeting first and second finishes (and potentially the fastest lap) to ensure enough points to overcome the deficit.
A SLIM MARGIN FOR ERROR: If both McLaren drivers finish in the top six, Ferrari must get both drivers on the podium to win the championship.
Read here for more on F1’s final act. And head here for the Abu Dhabi schedule.
Wait, what about Red Bull?
The reigning constructors’ champions were mathematically eliminated from contention yesterday in Qatar. Looking back, it’s kind of wild how the standings have twisted around this year:
Alright, I think I’m ready to talk about Qatar.
Cleanup on Aisle Qatar
Let’s rank the Qatar GP storylines
You can catch up on it all in our live blog, but, in order of messiness:
The Penalty Drama: 🧹🧹🧹🧹 🧹
Max Verstappen won the race despite taking a grid penalty after qualifying. And a (frankly, bizarrely) harsh penalty on Lando Norris nearly ruined his race. It all left the FIA facing even more scrutiny this morning.
Verstappen vs. Russell: 🧹🧹🧹🧹
After Verstappen’s penalty on Saturday, he was upset with the role Russell played in the decision — and said he “lost respect” for the Mercedes driver. 👀
Points for Sauber: 🧹
Only messy because it took them so long. Zhou Guanyu’s P8 finish gave Sauber its first points finish of the season.
Inside the Paddock with Madeline Coleman
What happened to the tires?
Sainz and Lewis Hamilton suffered punctures at around lap 34. While many assumed that it was due to running over the debris from a wing mirror (which fell off of Alex Albon’s car), both Sainz and Hamilton suggested other factors.
“I think it was a bit of a perfect storm,” Sainz said. “I think everyone was running very low on the front left tire in terms of tread, I think no one had much tread left, this exposes obviously the tire and the carcass to a puncture, and then the sharp curbs, the gravel on the track, the debris, could have been any of them the cause of the puncture, we will never know.”
The Ferrari driver said that his puncture happened in the last sector, and he had to do an entire lap with the puncture. And it wasn’t until he came out of the pits that the safety car happened. The FIA explained the safety car timing earlier today.
The tires’ longevity varies from circuit to circuit. Qatar, though, is fairly demanding. Given the debris on the track was off the racing line before it was hit, it seemed as if numerous teams were waiting to pit because of the risk of a safety car — even though they were likely to be on the tire wear limit.
Only messy because it took them so long. Zhou Guanyu’s P8 finish gave Sauber its first points finish of the season.
Outside the Points
The Athletic reports this morning that the writing is on the wall for Sergio Pérez’s exit at Red Bull after this week.
Alpine confirmed Jack Doohan will make his F1 debut this weekend, replacing Esteban Ocon.
Valtteri Bottas is eyeing a reserve role at Mercedes in 2025, as Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher is leaving the team.
And, finally, F1 Academy crowned a new champion this weekend: Abbi Pulling, who receives 10 points on her super license and a fully funded seat in GB3, racing for Rodin Motorsport.
📫 Love Prime Tire? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.
(Photo: Joe Portlock / Getty Images)
