Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix predictions, free tips & analysis

Free F1 tips, best bets and analysis for Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail circuit.

Where to watch

Sky Sports F1, 2pm Sunday

Best bets

Lewis Hamilton/Valtteri Bottas dual forecast
2pts 2-1 Betfred

Fernando Alonso top-six finish
1pt 5-4 bet365

Race preview

Max Verstappen said before his Mexican Grand Prix victory that he was happy to be starting third as it was a better grid slot than second.

The championship leader was proved right on that occasion as he took the lead at the start, but he could find himself on the wrong side of the track for Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix after qualifying on the front row.

Like Mexico, the Losail track is more slippery where the even-numbered grid spaces are, meaning it’s much harder to get a good start from there.

But unlike Mexico, Verstappen’s Red Bull team have been struggling to match their title rivals Mercedes in the desert.

Lewis Hamilton, trailing Verstappen by 14 points in his quest for a record eighth world championship, stormed to pole position for only the fourth time this season.

The Briton will win the title if he takes victory in this race along with the final double-header in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

A win in Qatar would see Verstappen’s lead cut to a maximum of eight points.

But Hamilton’s Mercedes team will be looking for Valtteri Bottas to maximise the pain for the Dutchman.

Bottas has been in better form recently than his results suggest, and the Finn has shown enough speed in Qatar to believe he can cause problems for Verstappen.

Lining up third gives him a good chance of getting the jump on the Dutchman at the start. And even if he doesn’t, Mercedes should have more strategy options open to them as they don’t have to worry about the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez, who qualified a disappointing 11th.

Mercedes have not managed a 1-2 finish all season but they claimed their first front-row lockout of the season in Mexico and look to have a great chance to dominate this race.

Fernando Alonso is the highest-placed driver in the standings without a podium finish this year.

And while a top-three berth may be beyond the F1 legend in Qatar, he can certainly convert his fifth-place grid slot into a top-six finish.

Two of Alonso’s former teams, Ferrari and McLaren, have led the charge behind the championship battle this year. But both have been well off the pace this weekend, allowing AlphaTauri and Alonso’s current squad Alpine to excel.

The Spaniard finished sixth in the Netherlands at a similar rollercoaster of a track and will be looking for a decent haul of points on Sunday.

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