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."

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.