Charles Leclerc set the best time in the only free practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend. He is ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on McLaren and his teammate Carlos Sainz.
Formula 1 enters a new sprint weekend, the last of the year, as part of the Qatar Grand Prix. This session is therefore the only test session that the drivers will be able to benefit from to develop their car.
In a traditionally very hot weekend, the air temperature peaks at 21 degrees while the track temperature rises to 26 degrees. Much cooler conditions than last year. The weather is good and the session starts during the day.
If the driver's title is already at stake with Max Verstappen's coronation last weekend in Las Vegas, the issue concerns the constructor's title that McLaren, Ferrari or Red Bull can still claim to win.
Ferrari and McLaren share the Top 4
The start of the session is marked by intense traffic since all the drivers are on track. Only Ferrari and Williams chose to start on hard tires. Sainz and Leclerc nevertheless quickly placed themselves in the Top 8 with even a provisional best time for the Monegasque in 1.23.702 almost two tenths ahead of Max Verstappen and an astonishing Pierre Gasly, mid-session.
Little action or error in this session, apart from a few rear axle stalls for the Red Bull of Sergio Pérez or the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Twenty minutes from the end of the session, Carlos Sainz placed his Ferrari, still on hard tires, at the top of the timesheet in 1.23.068. He is thus ahead of his teammate, Charles Leclerc by 351 thousandths then Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon who complete the Top 10.
For the last ten minutes, the softest red tires are out and the ranking is changing quickly. Charles Leclerc keeps a Ferrari in the lead by setting the best time in 1.21.953. He is ahead of Lando Norris by more than 4 tenths of a second. Behind, Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz are placed respectively in 3rd and 4th place in the standings in this only free practice session of the weekend.
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