Charles Leclerc quickest from Lando Norris in solely observe at Lusail circuit

Charles Leclerc emerged because the quickest driver within the sole free observe session for the Qatar Grand Prix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri got here near difficult Charles Leclerc’s benchmark however in the end fell quick, trailing by lower than two-tenths of a second. This units the stage for an intense battle between Ferrari and McLaren as they vie for dominance within the Method 1 Constructors’ Championship over the ultimate two race weekends of the season.

Carlos Sainz secured the fourth-best time, adopted by Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas, who rounded out the highest six. Final weekend’s winner, George Russell, completed in eighth place. In the meantime, World Champion Max Verstappen may solely handle eleventh, simply behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Sergio Perez struggled additional, ending the session down in 18th place.

 What unfolded throughout Qatar’s FP1?
Qatar is internet hosting its second and last dash race weekend of the season, a format that compresses preparation time. With solely 60 minutes of observe out there, groups had restricted alternative to fine-tune their setups forward of dash qualifying afterward Friday. The dash race itself will happen on Saturday, serving because the prelude to Sunday’s important occasion, which begins at 16:00 GMT, following qualifying at 18:00 GMT yesterday.

The Losail Circuit, infamous for its technical challenges, noticed a number of drivers take a look at the boundaries by dipping their tyres into gravel and run-off areas, notably at flip 5. Regardless of these minor excursions, no main incidents disrupted the session, and the primary half-hour unfolded underneath largely clear circumstances. Leclerc topped the charts early on, utilizing more durable tyres than a lot of the discipline—a selection that skewed the aggressive image. His greatest lap positioned him practically two-tenths forward of Verstappen.

Because the session progressed, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz remained on onerous tyres, persistently pushing the boundaries of their Ferraris. Carlos Sainz ultimately climbed to P2 with about 25 minutes remaining, even briefly surpassing Leclerc to say the quickest time. Norris, displaying strong kind, moved into P3, whereas Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez was notably impressed by McLaren’s efficiency. Over crew radio, Perez remarked, *“That McLaren is flying.”* Purple Bull, chasing McLaren within the Constructors’ Championship standings, faces an uphill battle as Ferrari additionally stays a severe contender on this tight three-way battle.

Ferrari’s session technique included essential tyre preparation, with each Leclerc and Carlos Sainz operating medium compounds to simulate race circumstances. Williams was the primary crew to totally exploit the smooth tyres, with Alex Albon leaping into P3 regardless of teammate Franco Colapinto making a small error within the center sector. As drivers switched to smooth tyres, the pecking order started to shift. Nevertheless, Ferrari reasserted their dominance, with Leclerc in the end securing the highest spot, showcasing their potential tempo heading into the pivotal weekend.

Listed here are the total outcomes from FP1 on the F1 2024 Qatar GP.

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Nov 29, 2024Maria Lombardi

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