Piastri leads FP1 in Qatar, setting the tone for a Sprint weekend that gives teams just one hour to understand the track before things get serious. McLaren ended the only practice session first and second, with Oscar Piastri edging Lando Norris by 0.058s after a slow and uneasy start on the hard tyres.
McLaren recover from an off-balance start
For most of FP1, neither McLaren looked settled. Grip was low, the wind made the hard tyre unpredictable, and Norris spent the opening half of the session scrapping for clean laps. A wide moment left him kicking up dust, stuck in P20 with little rhythm.
Piastri wasn’t much better off. Both drivers struggled to switch on the tyres, but once the softs appeared, the session flipped. Norris jumped to the top, then Piastri delivered a 1:20.924 to end the hour fastest.
McLaren walk away with a much-needed reset heading into Sprint Qualifying.
Alonso, Sainz and Hadjar show early strength
Fernando Alonso looked sharp from the start and ended third, 0.386s off Piastri. Carlos Sainz followed in fourth with another composed run for Williams.
Isack Hadjar delivered one of the standout performances of the session. The Racing Bulls rookie was first to bolt on the softs and immediately launched himself to P1 before finishing the hour in fifth. His confidence continues to grow at a rapid pace.
Verstappen wrestles the RB21
Max Verstappen set the pace early before reporting front-left problems and steering concerns. As grip improved, the RB21 looked more stable, but the final push didn’t come together and he ended P6. Charles Leclerc echoed similar steering issues and climbed only to P8.
Kimi Antonelli completed the top ten after briefly topping the session midway through FP1. Calm, precise, and unfazed by the low-grip surface, his form remains one of the rookie stories of the season.
What to expect next
One hour of practice is all teams get. Now the real pressure starts.
Key things heading into Sprint Qualifying:
- McLaren have real pace once the tyres are alive
- Alonso looks like a front-row contender
- Verstappen needs a cleaner session to fight for pole
- Grip will continue to evolve under the lights
- Soft tyres are strong but unpredictable in traffic
Sprint Qualifying begins at 20:30 local time, with every lap set to shape a championship weekend that is already full of tension.
