MADRID, 6 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) has been the fastest in the first and only free practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix, the eighteenth round of the Formula 1 calendar and disputed on the Losail circuit, ahead of the two Ferraris , the Spanish Carlos Sainz and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, while Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) finished fourth, less than half a second off the best time of the day.
The current champion set a great 1:27.428 with soft tires, a choice that the two Ferraris opted for in the end, which until the last part of the session preferred to test the rest of the compounds. Thus, the ‘podium’ was completed by the two cars of the Italian team, with Sainz just over three tenths behind (1:27.762) and Leclerc, third (1:27.909). This would confirm, without giving too many clues, that the ‘Prancing Horse’ is back in the top zone after a bad Japanese GP.
The poor condition of the track, with sand occupying part of the asphalt, was the protagonist in the first minutes of the session, in addition to the uncomfortable sun. Therefore, competitive times took a while to appear, with most teams opting for medium tires.
With many drivers appearing through loopholes and exceeding the track limits, it was the British George Russell (Mercedes) who set the first fastest time, in a first half hour in which the German team dominated.
Later, with the track cleaner, Alonso was at the top for several laps, until the McLarens confirmed that they will also do well here and took the first two positions, although in a still slow 1:28. With night already falling, the drivers were reluctant to mount the soft, even though it seemed logical, except for Red Bull.
It was then that Verstappen took the lead, although Sergio Pérez had a little more work to unseat Alonso, who became second, before touching the ‘podium’. The Ferraris, ‘copying’ those soft ones, entered the ‘top 3’, while the Mexican finished fifth, Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), sixth; Nico Hülkenberg, (Haas) seventh; Russell, eighth; and the two McLarens, Piastri and Norris, ninth and tenth.