Charles Leclerc led the way in lone FP1 of F1 Qatar GP ahead of McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with Carlos Sainz just behind in a close fight.
The lone FP1 session in F1 Qatar GP sprint weekend saw McLaren and Ferrari go head-to-head against each other despite moments throughout the session. The changed kerbs eased off the troubles they faced last year, but it didn’t deter drivers from going off at various corners.
Most of the field had those moments at various points in the session where some went off multiple times. It was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on top in FP1 of F1 Qatar GP with a 1m21.953s lap as he was 0.425s quicker than McLaren’s Lando Norris in the end in their crucial fight.
Oscar Piastri was third from the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, with the two teams going head-to-head in the F1 constructors’ fight. Visa Cash App RB along with Kick Sauber improved late on via Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas to end up fifth and sixth, to drop Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll to seventh.
Mercedes’ George Russell was eighth ahead of Williams’ Alexander Albon and the other Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in the Top 10. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and newly crowned F1 champion was down to 11th from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.
Visa Cash App RB’s Liam Lawson was 14th from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who carried a new front wing and set his best time on the medium compound. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was 16th from Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez only 18th in the end.
Williams’ Franco Colapinto was 19th while using the first spec of suspension that they brought at the start of the season, considering they don’t have the latest spec. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon rounded out the 20 runners after less running on the old wing, setting his best time on the medium tyre.
Here’s Qatar GP details
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