Charles Leclerc finished in first position in the only practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix, with the Sprint Qualifying set for 18:30.
The first and only practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix has just concluded. In first place was Charles Leclerc, who set a time of 1:21.953. The Monegasque driver delivered an impressive lap, putting himself nearly half a second ahead of the McLarens of Norris and Piastri.
Comparative tests at Ferrari during this practice session, with Leclerc on track using the experimental floor seen in Las Vegas, while Sainz returned to the current season’s floor. Both Ferraris started the weekend convincingly, particularly with their pace on the hard tires.
The top four drivers created a clear gap from the competition. In fourth place is Sainz, 582 thousandths behind, while a surprising Tsunoda follows the Spaniard. Also surprising are the sixth and seventh positions of Bottas and Stroll, with the Finnish driver setting the best time in the second sector. The two Mercedes had a slow start, with Russell ahead of Hamilton, in eighth and tenth positions, respectively, more than a second behind Leclerc.
In between the two Silver Arrows is Albon’s Williams, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen is only in eleventh place, after going wide in his qualifying simulation lap. The other Red Bull is lost, with Perez in eighteenth, ahead of Colapinto and Ocon. Alonso is twelfth, while the two Haas drivers finished thirteenth and sixteenth, with Hulkenberg ahead of Magnussen. The Sprint Qualifying session is scheduled for 18:30 CET.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari