Qatar GP: Leclerc comfortably leads Norris in free practice
Ferrari contradicted expectations in Friday’s single practice session in Qatar, with Charles Leclerc topping the time sheets, a comfortable 0.425s ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Cooler than expected temperatures prevailed in Lusail, which likely impacted the running order which saw Oscar Piastri and Carlos complete the top-four Ferrari-McLaren combo.
RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas added to the early evening’s surprises with the pair hustling their way to fifth and sixth. Further back, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were P8 and P10 for Mercedes while freshly crowned world champion Max Verstappen was only 11th.
The single practice session of this weekend’s Sprint format – the sixth and last one of the 2024 season – kicked off with a healthy contingent of cars powering out on to the Lusail circuit.
With practice mileage limited and the track itself needing a good cleaning to clear the sand and dust, it was in everyone’s interest to put their head down at the outset amid a dry and warm environment, although temperatures, sitting at 21°C, were significantly lower than last year’s inferno.
As a reminder, Lusail welcomes F1 this year with modified, rounded kerbs that should theoretically be much more docile on Pirelli’s tyres.
Fresh out of the box, Verstappen – running on the medium tyre like the majority of the field – lost no time setting the first benchmark time with a 1m26.338s, but there was obviously plenty of lap time to find.
Proof of this was provided by Leclerc who shaved almost two seconds off the Dutchman’s best despite his hard rubber. But Verstappen responded with 1m23.885s that compelled his Ferrari rival to go fastest once again as the session reached its half-way mark.
Sainz, Norris and Gasly followed suit as they overhauled the Red Bull driver, with both Ferrari drivers still making the most of their hard tyres.
Both Norris and Piastri had moments out on the track, indicating that grip, while improving, was still at a premium although the wind also appeared to be a factor.
Meanwhile, while everyone piled up the laps, Esteban Ocon remained stuck in the Alpine garage with a mechanical issue and just nine laps under his belt, with 20 minutes left on the clock. The Frenchman eventually got going once again with 10 minutes to go.
There was a short lull in the action as most drivers returned to the pits for a breather and set-up changes.
Williams rookie Franco Colapinto was the first driver to sample the soft tyre which triggered an almost immediate switch to the red-rimmed rubber for most of the field.
Both Ferraris made good use of their softs as they solidified their position at the top of the timesheet, with Leclerc preceding Sainz by 0.136s.
But in the closing minutes of the session, Norris and Piastri slotted their MCL38 between the red cars making it a Ferrari-McLaren combo.
The quartet concluded practice at the top, while surprisingly solid efforts by Tsunoda and Bottas saw the latter complete the top six.
Thereafter, an equally impressive hot lap by Aston Martin’s Lance Stoll placed the Canadian seventh, just ahead George Russell, Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton.
Oddly, Mercedes were singled out as favorites for this weekend’s round of racing in Qatar while Ferrari was expected to struggle.
But the Scuderia has come out swinging, although confirmation will be expected in this evening’s Sprint qualifying.
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