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Posted on 11/27/2025 12:46:24 PM PST by Carriage Hill
2025 FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX - Live Thread.
Circuit: Lusail International Circuit First Grand Prix: 2021, Number of Laps: 57, Circuit Length: 5.419 km, Race Distance: 308.611 km, Lap Record: 1:24.319 Max Verstappen (2023)
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TV All-Race Venue Events & Schedules... here.
Don't forget to check the F1-GP thread: ...F1-GP.
Race day is almost here.
Light 'em up!
Keep the rubber side down.
In! Looking forward to the season’s last couple of races. The Championship is still up for grabs.
Tha Hamasss 500!
Welcome.
Max is still in the running.
Thanks, CH, for keeping these important treads going!
McLaren to be 'Closely Monitored' By FIA at Qatar GP After Being Accused of Cheating
I don't know what to make of this. givemesport.com IS NOT an F-centric site and the author IS NOT principally an F1 writer, and I've not seen this conjecture anywhere else. But unless this is complete crap (and I'm not convinced it isn't), it sounds rather ominous.
The FIA are set to place McLaren under increased scrutiny at this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix after allegations that the team have been cheating emerged......Why McLaren Have Been Accused of Cheating
Heading into this weekend's race in Qatar, the team are to be 'closely monitored' after it was claimed that they (along with several rival constructors) had been using the illegal practice of teams using skid blocks that expand when heated. The FIA have been monitoring the issue since it was first brought to their attention by other teams at the Brazilian Grand Prix in November.
First off, ALL fiberglass expands when heated. In fact, there are very few materials that don't, and those all are objects of much scientific curiosity.
Second, who says it's "illegal"? I have the 2025 TR & SR and I can't find anything in either stating that the legality of the surfboard being connected to its thermal expansion characteristics. TR 3.5.9 states the material is "free" (unregulated) provided it is homogeneous and its density is within certain limits. And that's all.
Third, how does an expanding skid block help the competitor? If it's expanded during the race it will begin grinding against the tarmac sooner and wear faster, will it not? Then when it cools and contracts while waiting for the scrutineers, it will be more likely to be less than the TR's required thickness, will it not?
So using a fiberglass that expands excessively, it would seem to me, would have exactly the opposite result from what the competitor would want. I would want a skidblock that shrank to the thickness of a potato chip from the heat of the tarmac, then expand back to full thickness when cool.
Read it if you like but the rest sounds to me like unintelligible gobbledygook.
I considered that this might have been created by AI but I can't believe any body's AI would write this poorly. But it's harder to believe a human who writes this poorly (he misspelled "porpoising") could get paid for it.
But if there's a shred of truth to it, it could be the biggest F1 scandal in years.
So if you can be bothered to read it, I'd be interested in your take.
I’ll have a look at it, tomorrow.
I’m still on *carb overload*...
Happy to help out.
Time difference from EST: 8 Hours
FRIDAY
0450-0535: Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East FP1
0605-0650: F2 FP1
0830-0930: F1 FP1
1110-1140: F2 Qualifying
1230-1314: F1 Sprint Race Qualifying
SATURDAY
0720-0750: Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Qualifying
0900-1000: F1 Sprint (19 laps, 60 minute time limit)
1120-1210: F2 Race 1 (23 laps, 45 minute time limit)
1300-1400: F1 Qualifying
1445-1515: Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Race 1 (11 laps, 25 minute time limit)
SUNDAY
0550-0620: Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East Race 2 (11 laps, 25 minute time limit)
0700-0800: F2 Race 2 (32 laps with a 60 minute time limit; Pirelli may adjust race because of F1 25 lap tyre limit)
0930: Grand Prix Sunday
1100: Qatar Airways Grand Prix (57 laps with a 120 minute time limit or 180 minutes from formation lap).
Pirelli has a 25 lap limit for tyres. Exceeding the limit is disqualification EXCEPT if pit road closes for safety reasons under the safety car, and some cars will cross 25 laps during a closed pit. In that situation, the pit stop will be mandatory once pit road is open. The limit can only be exceeded if pit road is closed.
Example: Abel has 23 laps on his tyres. Baker has 24 laps on his tyres. Abel plans to pit next lap at the 25-lap limit exactly, and Baker the next lap afterwards. Charles has 15 laps on his tyres. Daniels has a mechanical failure the car stops at the entrance of pit lane, and oil is on the track at pit road entrance. Safety car, pit road is closed so officials can retrieve the car and clean out the oil. They keep pit road closed for three laps. Abel has 26 laps when he pits. Baker has 27 laps on his tyres when he pits. Is Charles the leader because Abel and Baker are disqualified?
Ruling: Because pit road was closed for three laps, those three laps are discarded from the limit. The 25 lap limit discards situations if nearing the limit, there is a pit blockage it is closed. Abel and Baker pit when pit road opens even after the limit, since there was no recourse.
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