Opportunities for Verstappen: 'Much management required'

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will start the Qatar Grand Prix at the front of the grid as usual. If the Dutchman is unable to overtake Hamilton in the first few corners it will probably come down to a smarter strategy during the pitstops. The official website of Formula 1 lists the possibilities. 

UPDATE | Verstappen to start from P7 after penalty. 

Although the website is wary of the possibility of Verstappen receiving a grid penalty for ignoring a double yellow flag during qualifying, the medium argues that the teams have some interesting options to get ahead of the competition. "It’s the top three who are all starting on medium tyres but still look set for a two-stop race. Pirelli brought the hardest three compounds in their range to Qatar, but Friday showed higher than expected levels of wear, which suggested there would be too much management required to make a one-stop work as expected."

"In a slightly strange scenario, none of the drivers on the grid have two sets of hard tyres available, so the numbers say the quickest strategy that the top three will be looking at will see a switch to the hard tyre anytime from lap 16, and then returning to the mediums when there are 20 laps (or fewer) to go. The soft could be used for the final stint if required."

Hamilton puts pressure on Verstappen

For Verstappen, staying close to Hamilton will be key in Qatar. The Red Bull Racing driver has a 14-point lead in the world championship that he would otherwise see eroded. After Qatar there are only the races in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi left on the schedule.