Chances for Verstappen? "Mercedes is never as good with full tanks"

The race weekend in Qatar seems to be going the way of Mercedes. The German racing stable has been fast all weekend and managed to turn that into pole position for Lewis Hamilton. According to the analysis of Auto, Motor und Sport the team was not faster on the straight, but they were faster in the twisty part of the circuit.

Red Bull Racing have reservations about the top speeds Mercedes are achieving on the straight, but according to the German medium, that's not where the team excelled on Saturday. Still, Max Verstappen will start Sunday's race at a disadvantage, especially if the stewards decide to penalise him for ignoring a double yellow flag.

Circuit Qatar would be advantageous for Hamilton

"Red Bull must fear that the Englishman will disappear on the horizon once he is in the lead," the website wrote.

"Verstappen has 371 meters to reverse the order. After that it will be difficult, although with full tanks the Mercedes cars are never as good as in the second half of the race."

So the balance of power can still shift during the race. However, the layout of the circuit does play into Hamilton's hands. "If you drive too close to the car in front, you risk understeer and overheating tires in turn sixteen," the analysis continued.

"The key to an overtaking maneuver is not the 800-metre DRS zone, but how well you come out of the final corner."