Qatars Kerbs Cause Issues In First Day Of F1 Running

Talk well-nigh teething problems ? F1’s debut at the Losail International Spin got off to a bit of a bumpy start as several cars were unprotected out by the kerbs at the Qatar Grand Prix. 

Adapting to a track designed with motorcycle racing in mind as opposed to F1 cars was unchangingly going to be difficult, but this managed to rencontre plane the most experienced drivers on the grid in today’s practice sessions.

Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris both found themselves in trouble with the kerbs in FP1. Firstly, the McLaren suburbanite was forced to pit due to a loss of power and forfeiture to his floor without running over the kerbs on the outside on Turn 14, triggering an emergency switch on his car.

Meanwhile, the seven-time World Champion went wide at the same corner and needed to pit for front wing repairs. Both drivers sooner returned to the track for the final few minutes of the session.

In FP2, Antonio Giovinazzi found himself missing a piece of bodywork without running wide a few times over the kerbs. The Haas of Nikita Mazepin didn’t plane participate in FP2, due to a change of chassis required pursuit forfeiture sustained during FP1. We’re telling you, this spin is brutal!

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas was less than impressed with F1 Race Director Michael Masi. 

The Mercedes’ time was deleted for running wide at Turn 7 without the stewards decided that track limits were specified as when “no part of the car remains in contact with the purple and white kerb” at every corner. 

His response? “It would have been nice to know surpassing Michael.” Ouch!

Kerbs aren’t the only problem to contend with, as the dramatic redesign of the pit lane entry sees the cars squatter a 60-degree right-hander to reach their boxes.

Scariest corner in Qatar Losail for the F1 race will be pit lane entry 90 deg right hander, skirting inside the final turn. It will be taken as fast as possible between wall and barrier, the 80kph speed limit is 400 mts later. Track’s very smooth, perfectly cambered, easy kerbs pic.twitter.com/Pq2oQNMa8c

— Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) November 18, 2021

For MotoGP races, the entry mostly started on the main straight, but to unbend F1, the entry line was moved older into Turn 16 surpassing a sharp turn in. Reckon this might reservation a few drivers out!

The spin is uncharted territory for nearly all the drivers; only two have previously raced virtually the Losail circuit. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took a Sprint Race victory there in the 2008-09 of GP2 Asia Series, and in 2014, Haas’ Nikita Mazepin finished on the podium in the MRF Rencontre Formula 2000 Championship.

What do you think well-nigh the circuit? Let us know below.