Fierce Verstappen-Hamilton F1 duel heads into uncharted Qatar waters

The inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, a race originally not to debut until 2023, is the next stage of the tense Formula One title duel between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's fierce Formula One title battle continues on two new tracks before the December 12 grand finale in Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull's Verstappen takes a 14-point lead over defending champion Hamilton of Mercedes into the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, followed on December 5 by the first-ever Saudi Arabia GP in Jeddah.

Neither driver has ever competed on these two tracks, adding to the excitement in a duel that has turned increasingly bitter over the past weeks.

That showed again earlier in the week when Mercedes decided to request a review, via new video evidence, of a stewards' decision from last weekend not to take action against Verstappen for allegedly running Hamilton off the track.

Should the stewards decide to punish Verstappen it could be a 5-second penalty which would drop him to third and reduce his advantage to 11 points. A grid penalty Sunday could also be an alternative option.

The issue was reportedly to be dealt with later Thursday ahead of the first practice laps Friday on the 5.38-kilometre Losail International Circuit which in the past has only seen MotoGP racing.

The venue will become a permanent addition to the F1 calendar from 2023 on a 10-year deal but is now stepping in for Australia in connection with the coronavirus.

"It's a new circuit and obviously, we've never been there before, so I'm very curious to see what it will be like to drive there, hopefully, we can perform well," Verstappen said.

"I've already driven a bit on the simulator to understand the corners, but it will be good to see the track in real life. The practice sessions are obviously very important for everyone to get up to speed and understand the set-up of the car."

Verstappen saw his championship lead cut by seven points last weekend in Brazil where a new engine first helped Hamilton race from last to fifth in Saturday's sprint and then from 10th on the grid to victory in Sunday's race.

The impressive showing has boosted the seven-time champion's morale.

Hamilton insisted that "nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it" and his team principal Toto Wolff vowed that "we'll fight until the end" against Red Bull.

Hamilton may also be in the spotlight off the track if he decides to speak out over human rights issues with Qatar under attack for years over the treatment of migrant workers.

The issue is growing again ahead of the 2022 football World Cup in the country, and the F1 race coming exactly one year ahead of the opening match.