Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Friday November 29, 2024 at 3:56 p.m.
Charles Leclerc set the best time in the first free practice session for the Qatar Grand Prix in his Ferrari, ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Five days after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which crowned Max Verstappen for the fourth time, the drivers headed to Qatar, where the penultimate round of the world championship will take place, with a sprint race on the program on Saturday . The first free practice session took place this Friday under the setting sun, and it was Charles Leclerc who set the best time, completing one of his 30 laps in 1'21″953. The Ferrari driver took the lead in the standings four minutes from the end of the session, while his teammate Carlos Sainz (with whom he cleared things up after their spat in Las Vegas) had taken control for around twenty minutes previously. In the end, Charles Leclerc beat the two McLarens: Lando Norris by 425 thousandths and Oscar Piastri by 472, Sainz finishing fourth at 582 thousandths. Yuki Tsunoda, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, George Russell, Alexander Albon and Lewis Hamilton complete the Top 10. World champion Max Verstappen was satisfied with 11th place, like a Red Bull team not really to its advantage on the Losail circuit (Perez 18th).
The Alpines in retreat
On the French side, the performance was not really there on the Qatari track: Pierre Gasly finished 15th and Esteban Ocon last, after encountering a technical problem since he only completed 21 laps. No major incidents were reported during this session. Sergio Perez, whose future at Red Bull is not assured for next season, however went off the track at turn 15 at the start of the session, and Oscar Piastri at turn 6 at the end of the session. See you now at 6:30 p.m. (French time) for qualifying for the sprint race. A sprint race which will take place on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., with eight points up for grabs for the winner.
