We scored a point in a dramatic Sprint and eight more in a gruelling Grand Prix under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit, where our pit crew completed six stops in the demanding heat.
Team Principal Mike Krack looks ahead to the Qatar Grand Prix, where we seek to make a step forward and learn from recent rounds in Singapore and Japan. Furthermore, Mike reflects on our team's progress with the AMR23 and Jessica Hawkins' debut Formula One test.
We returned to points-scoring ways in Japan but unfortunately, Lance had to retire - how do you look back at the team's performance at Suzuka?
"The last few races have been challenging in terms of performance, operations, and reliability. We need to be at 100% with our operations and our reliability if we are to add performance and do a better job for Lance and Fernando. Lance was forced to park the car with the rear wing issue, while Fernando picked up four points. Being honest, that's not the level we expect of ourselves. We need to keep our heads down and keep fighting."
Have recent results changed our approach to developing the AMR23 – and are we still bringing small developments to every race?
"Continuous development has been our philosophy all year. There are still some developments in the pipeline that will appear on the car all the way to Abu Dhabi – and with stable regulations for next year, these developments will feed into the new car. So we will not take our foot off the gas at all. We will keep pushing and we want to conclude the season strongly."
Does finishing strongly mean finishing fourth in the championship?
"Yes, at least fourth. That's the objective with six races to go. We are currently fourth in both championships and we should not forget we have had some amazing results and seven podiums this year. With every race we continue to learn and grow together as a team. We are in a fierce battle with some exceptional competitors, but we will not go down without a fight."
Looking ahead to the Qatar Grand Prix, how do you think we'll fare this weekend?
"It is nice to be back racing in Qatar. There is a range of medium-speed and high-speed corners – similar in many ways to Suzuka – so we can expect similar fortunes, to be honest. We will take the learnings from Singapore and Japan and try to take a step forward. Everybody in the team can play their part: we all have to dig deep if we want to turn the tide."
We will take the learnings from Singapore and Japan and try to take a step forward. Everybody in the team can play their part: we all have to dig deep if we want to turn the tide.
Mike Krack-Team Principal
Jessica Hawkins tested the AMR21 recently – how proud are you of that moment and of the work done by the Evolution team?
"It was a very special moment for Jessica. She's been building to this moment for her whole career and really made the most of the opportunity. Jessica is an important part of this team, and I am pleased we could help her take this next stage in her development. Everybody in the team felt very proud."
How did Jessica fare – and what kind of impact has she had on the team?
"Jessica did an excellent job. She impressed us with her preparation in the simulator and that made it an easy decision to put her in the AMR21. Jessica got up to speed quickly and found a nice rhythm. Her feedback was accurate and detailed, and after a few runs she had found a good pace."
What's next for Jess?
"She's a role model – and this test gives her the experience and the showcase to further the cause for women in motorsport, and for women ultimately racing in Formula One. Don't forget: this test served to demonstrate the point that women can handle the physical loadings of a Grand Prix car – she did almost 30 laps without any issues.
"Jess is 28, so she's realistic about her career direction, but we certainly have plans for her within our organisation – which we'll be able to share in the near future. And this experience definitely qualifies her for that role."
Having a driver squad – with Felipe, Stoffel and Jess in it – there's strength in depth. How useful is that?
"Across the team we have so much talent and we are very proud of our driver squad. They all play an important role. They use the simulator, they attend engineering meetings, and they always add value. All three have tested our cars this year, which gives them insight, keeps them match-fit, and demonstrates how we are investing in their development."
Data is limited due to only one previous running of the Qatar Grand Prix, during which there was a sole Virtual Safety Car period. Ample run-off area mean there's less chance for cars or debris to get stuck on track therefore reducing the chance of race interruptions.
02
Overtaking
With just one DRS zone, it's difficult to pass at Lusail – but, excluding Lap One, there were 41 overtakes in the 2021 race, which shows that it is still possible to make moves.
03
Strategy
The track has been completely resurfaced since 2021 so teams will need to learn how the tyres – C1, C2 and C3 compounds allocated by Pirelli – behave on the new surface and factor this into their race strategy.
Lusail begins with a fast right-hander and a short blast to a fast left-hand bend. Both opening corners are on-camber, meaning drivers can carry plenty of speed through the apex and out. Turns Four and Five are high-speed right-handers that blend into one another, almost making for one continuous long turn.
The middle sector is the most testing, beginning with the Turn Six hairpin – the slowest corner on the circuit that opens up into the long right-hairpin of Turn Seven. Turns Eight and Nine are full throttle and Turn 10 is a rapid left-hander.
Turn 12 is a triple-apex right-hander – much like Turkey's Turn Eight or COTA's Turn 17 – that drivers on new tyres and low fuel will relish. Turn 15 is a rapid left-hander that might demand a downshift during the race when running on high fuel or worn tires. The pit entry comes just before the final corner, which is a high-speed left-hand corner that leads onto the main straight.
How do F1 teams cope with the intense heat of Qatar?
With an average temperature of 35 degrees Celsius in October, we won't visit a hotter country than Qatar for the remainder of the season. Staying cool is crucial: drivers often wear cooling vests in the build-up to sessions. These vests are filled with ice or a gel and cooled in the freezer beforehand.
When drivers are waiting in the cockpit on the grid, or in the garage, team members use high-powered fans with dry ice to keep them cool. As soon as the cars return to the pits after a session, their engines are also cooled with large fans that are inserted into the air intakes. Brakes can also be cooled in a similar manner.
The Singapore Grand Prix is still considered the most physically demanding race of the season given its intense heat and humidity, and drivers train in representative conditions to ensure they're up to the task – but that training will serve them well for the demands of Qatar.
We look at the weather conditions at Qatar together with Global Partner NetApp, a global hybrid cloud storage partner with solutions that perform across a diverse environment, allowing us to gain insights on weather-related data as well as telemetry data.
Qatar is one of the driest countries in the world with around 70 millimetres of precipitation per year – while Singapore sees nearly 2,500mm per year. It is therefore no surprise that the chance of rain is zero per cent throughout the weekend of the Qatar Grand Prix.
On Friday, it's set to be sunny and dry with an increasing northwesterly wind. Drivers will have to contend with gusts of up to 50 km/h in the afternoon, and temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius for Qualifying.
On Saturday, the northwesterly wind and strong gusts remain. Temperatures will hover around 36 degrees Celsius for the Sprint Shootout and 31 degrees for the following Sprint Race.
On Sunday, the wind eases and faces north for the race, where temperatures are set to hover around 30 degrees Celsius.
In Formula One, you're constantly learning. Every lap, every mile, every second, is an opportunity to further your understanding and, ultimately, discover ways to unlock performance. In partnership with XP Inc., here are some of the key points for the Qatar Grand Prix.
0.5
The DRS zone along the start-finish straight makes the run to Turn One the best opportunity around the lap to try to pull off an overtake.
12.5
The pit loss in seconds, which is high because the pitlane speed limit of 80km/h pales in comparison to the speeds drivers reach while racing.
50
The distance in metres from pole position to Turn One, providing plenty of opportunity to make up places at the start.
110.5
Points. Ahead of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, we have scored four times as many points as we did in 2022.
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