F1 focus shifts in Qatar as McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull fight for constructors' title

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Max Verstappen won big in Las Vegas with his fourth world title, but the fight for Formula 1's biggest cash prize is hotting up this week in Qatar.

The lucrative constructors' championship is still wide open with McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull battling for the title. The contest for teams is worth around $140 million to the winner, though the precise payout depends on variables.

This weekend in Qatar, a sprint race Saturday means extra points are on offer — a maximum of 59 for a team over the whole weekend.

McLaren leads by 24 points from Ferrari, with Verstappen's Red Bull 29 further back. McLaren could seal its first constructors' crown since 1998 this Sunday, wrapping up the title ahead of the final round in Abu Dhabi next week, but would likely need either a perfect weekend or for Ferrari to encounter problems.

Norris on pole for sprint

McLaren's Lando Norris beat Mercedes' George Russell by just .063 of a second to take pole position Friday for the Saturday sprint race. Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri is third, .159 off the pace, ahead of the two Ferraris of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc. Verstappen is sixth.

“Great qualifying today, especially to bounce back from where we were last time out in Vegas,” said Norris, whose title chances ended with a sixth-place finish behind Verstappen in Las Vegas. “We're coming here to get pole and we did that, so job done for today."

Leclerc led the way in the sole practice session earlier Friday, with Norris 0.425 seconds slower and Piastri .047 further back. Verstappen was 11th fastest.

Playing the team game

McLaren’s bid is the new focus for Norris after his challenge for the drivers’ title ended last week in Las Vegas.

Norris on Thursday dismissed a reported claim from Verstappen that he could have won the crown earlier in a McLaren and suggested the Dutch driver try “comedy.” He then offered a suggestion of his own. “Red Bull probably would have won the constructors' (championship) if they had two drivers as good as Max, that’s for sure,” Norris said.

The contributions of Piastri, who won the Qatar sprint race as a rookie last year, have been key to McLaren's hopes. Ferrari's Leclerc and Sainz have been close on the track — and sometimes too close for comfort — all year.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez is the only driver at the top three teams without a race win this year and he's eighth in the standings with less than half of Verstappen’s points total. Perez was 18th fastest in practice Friday and qualified 16th for the sprint, his latest dismal results.

Perez, who has faced speculation over his future almost all year, says he's struggled to make the title-winning Red Bull car fit his driving style.

“It’s very difficult for people to understand if they’re not part of the team,” he said Thursday. “When you are not able to extract 100% out of your car, it’s irrelevant how good your car is, and this is what happened.”

Drivers won't feel the heat

Last year's race in Qatar pushed drivers to the limit. Esteban Ocon reported being sick as he battled the heat and humidity, while Lance Stroll said he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

The FIA expressed concern that drivers “should not be expected to compete under conditions that could jeopardise their health or safety,” and this month approved new driver cooling kits for hot races.

Those kits aren't available until next year, but don't expect drivers to be clamouring for them in Qatar this week. With the action taking place in November and December instead of early October, much milder weather is forecast than last year, and Stroll said “for sure” that's a relief.

“I have no interest in experiencing last year’s heat in Qatar again,” the Aston Martin driver said.

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