Due to a unique aspect of this race, there are some strategy options.
Lusail’s plethora of long, medium and high-speed corners place heavy demands on the tyres, and sharp curbs make matters worse.
Tire supplier Pirelli, fearing punctures, mandated the use of a maximum of 25 laps on any set of tyres, making the race a minimum two pit-stop strategy.
However, there is great danger. Both Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell – who was second in the sprint and is fourth for the Grand Prix – suffered front tires burst before the end of the 19-lap sprint.
For Piastri, the race marked a timely return to form after a tough period of racing during the autumn.
He looked like a champion-elect when his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, in addition to Norris’s retirement due to a fuel-line failure, gave Piastri a 34-point lead in the championship. By then he was McLaren’s more reliable driver this season.
But Piastri has only been on the podium once since then, and in one Grand Prix race he made mistakes and lacked pace as Norris wrested control of the title race from him.
For Piastri – as for Verstappen – only a win tomorrow will really do. Or at least they have to beat Norris.
Piastri said: “I’ve been in the same position all weekend and everything has been good so far.
“So I think I’ve convinced you that when things are in the right place and when I’m in rhythm things can happen without needing to do anything special.
“So I’m confident we can try to do the same thing tomorrow. And (I’m) ready for the fight.”
However, as all three pointed out, a lot can happen in a 200-mile Grand Prix.
Other cars may cause problems. There could be safety cars, incidents, retirements.
Tire restrictions mean that the race will be flat from start to finish, or as close as it gets. Therefore the possibility of mistakes being made is high.
While a Grand Prix can occasionally be short-lived, and all drivers expect it, a race can go awry in more ways than it can well.
Verstappen, who is competing for his fifth world title while the McLaren driver is looking for his first, knows this all too well.
“You never know what happens in a race,” he said. “We have a two-stop and some things are not in your control, right?
“Some crazy things might happen behind your back, so you just have to be open to everything.
“We will do everything we can, try to have a good start, then try to take care of our tires a little better because the understeer we have in the car is usually not good for race speed, but we will try to minimize the damage.”
How to Relax Before the day he achieves his lifelong ambition, Norris said he was going to try to relax in his hotel room on Saturday night.
“Play some basketball in my room. Real basketball. I’m going to go home, get a Spaghetti Bolognese, play some Counter-Strike, maybe lose some Elo (ratings) and then go to bed.”
Furthermore, he said, he would try to stay away from the media, “Go and meet my engineers, do some work, prepare as best you can. See what opportunities may arise.”
The biggest prize in motorsport is waiting for someone out there. Who will understand this?
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