Oscar Piastri was back on top in FP1 at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. Clocking a 1:20.924, Piastri was ahead in the only practice session of the weekend.
A clean session on the track left Piastri topping the time sheets ahead of Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso. With the penultimate round of the season upon us, the drivers ensured they made the most of their only practice session.
Championship Preview
A dramatic end to the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix ended in another victory for Max Verstappen while it was a double disqualification for McLaren. The disqualification brings Vertsappen back into equations for the championship.
Heading into the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, Norris sits ahead on 290 points, while Piastri and Verstappen are on 266 points each.
Green Light in Qatar
The track was open for the only practice session in Qatar and it was Verstappen who topped the timesheets early. Setting purple sectors around the track, Verstappen was able to drop into the 1:23.343, almost nine tenths ahead of Nico Hulkenburg. Piastri was the next fastest on track. The championship challenger clocked a 1:23.039 before he was better by Russel, who was the first driver into the 1:22’s.
With all cars on track running the hard compound tyre, the early minutes of the session was used for some racing simulations. Aston Martin and Williams, who will likely benefit from this weekends tyre enforcements, were sitting high on the timesheets. Alonso, was sitting in fourth ahead of both Sainz and Albon in fifth and sixth.
20 Minutes Down
The session was in full swing but the Lusail International Circuit was starting to calm as many drivers headed for the pits. Russel continued to lead FP1 at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. While Verstappen and Isack Hadjar slotted into second and third respectively.
Charles Leclerc was vocal, numerous times on his radio. The Ferrari driver was talking to his engineers about his power steering. Yuki Tsunoda, who has been substantially behind Vertsappen this season, was sitting in seventh. While both McLarens were struggling to stay into the top ten.
With 26 minutes left in the session, the Ferrari’s were struggling, sitting in 12th and 14th respectively. While in the bottom six, it was the Kick Sauber who led ahead of Alpine and Hass. This weekend is critical for the race for sixth place in the constructors championship. While Racing Bulls currently sit in sixth, 23 points clear of Hass. Aston Martin sit one point behind with 72 points while Kick Sauber is currently ninth with 68 points.
Switching to Soft
With 20 minutes to go in FP1 at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, the order of the top three hadn’t changed. Norris however, drove his was into fourth, 0.379 seconds slower than Russel.
The clocked continued to tick down as the field started to switch away from the hard tyre. Oliver Bearman continued to impress in Qatar, jumping up to third in the first lap completed on soft tyres.
With most of the field making the switch to the soft tyre compound, it was Hadjar who bumped Russel out of the top spot. Clocking a 1:21.819, Hadjar was the first driver into the 1:21s.
The times continued to tumble, and the order begun to switch. McLaren, who were struggling early in the session, were now at the top of the timesheets. Norris led Piastri, before Piastri then went 0.058 faster than his teammate. With the field in qualifying simulations mode, ahead of Friday’s second session, it was Ferrari who looked to be struggling, with both cars slipping out of the top ten.
Checkered Flag on Practice
The checkered flag flew on the only free practice at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. While the drivers lined up on the main straight to do their practice starts, it was Piastri who topped the timesheets. Clocking a 1:20.924, Piastri led the field ahead of Norris in second and Alonso in third.
While Russell, who was the early leader of FP1, finished the session in 14th. Verstappen, who was struggling with his car set up in final runs of the session, ended the in sixth. Williams, who is looking to secure their fifth position in the constructors championship, continued their early form with a fourth and seventh.
Looking Ahead to Sprint Qualifying
The final sprint weekend is upon us and up next is Sprint Qualifying at the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. While xxx may have been fastest in FP1, it is all to play for during the second session of the day.
Sprint Qualifying will occur at 8:30pm track time (GMT+3).