In 2021, Formula 1's first visit to Qatar's Losail International Circuit didn’t go well because of deadly kerbs. Although they suited bikes and MotoGP, F1 cars struggled. However, in 2023, these kerbs benefited Mercedes, especially Lewis Hamilton. Qatar GP resembled Austria GP with numerous lap time deletions, notably affecting McLaren and Lando Norris.
Lewis expressed his dissatisfaction with standardized track limits introduced by the FIA this season, questioning their necessity at the Losail Circuit. F1 insider Deni posted a tweet, where Hamilton said, “I don’t feel like at this track we need to have track limits." Team McLaren was not happy about it.
In the Sprint weekend, McLaren drivers Norris and Piastri had their final lap times deleted due to track-limit violations in qualifying. Norris dropped from P2 to P10 and Piastri from P4 to P6.
Frustration for Lando Norris and McLaren at Qatar GP
Meanwhile, Austria GP was nothing better; McLaren faced a challenging qualifying session, with multiple lap-time deletions for Norris. He went from P2 to P10 and expressed disappointment, citing a mistake leading to his off-track excursion.