#F1 #QatarGP FP1: @CharlesLeclerc quickest ahead of @McLarenF1 pairing.

Leclerc Qatar GP FP1 – Charles Leclerc topped the only practice session at the Qatar GP ahead of McLaren pairing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who split the Ferrari duo in second and third respectively with Carlos Sainz ending up fourth in the other SF-24 entry.

Leclerc set the session-topping benchmark of a 1:21.953 on the C3 red side-walled softer tyre and was 0.425 seconds clear of Norris whilst Piastri was a further 0.472 adrift in third.

The opening 45 minutes of proceedings were majorly focused on running the C2 mediums in preparation for the upcoming Sprint Qualifying and 100km Sprint Race, whilst also cleaning up a dusty Lusail International Circuit before Grand Prix qualifying preparation on the softer rubber concluded the sole practice session.

Yet it was the two Ferrari drivers who were running on the C1, white-marked harder rubber and went towards the top of the classification; Leclerc ended the running on the harder two compounds of tyres posting a 1:23.419; although was trounced by Sainz’s 1:23.068 effort.

A chain of soft tyre qualifying simulation stints ended the session, with the top end of the timing boards beginning with Sainz’s 1:22.982; although Ferrari team-mate Leclerc got a 1:22.242 to put this in the dark.

The McLaren pairing got close, with Piastri ending up two-tenths off, as team-mate Norris found half-a-tenth to jump into second place.

Leclerc improved by another three-tenths on his next flyer on the softs, although the McLaren drivers were unable to get another hot-lap in an effort to get closer to the leading Ferrari.

Sainz was fourth in the other SF-24 and ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda who finished a solid fifth and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas who set the best sector two effort to go sixth.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was only 0.03 seconds behind Bottas in seventh.

Mercedes’ Russell and Hamilton were eighth and tenth respectively as Albon split the pairing for Williams in ninth.

Newly-crowned four-time World Champion Verstappen finished outside the top ten in 11^th place after having a slip into the gravel trap at turn 15 on his final flying tour and in-front of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who came 12^th in the order and MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg who ended the session 13^th.

RB’s Liam Lawson finished the sole practice session 14^th as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen and Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu were all 15^th, 16^th and 17^th respectively.

The other RB20 entry of Sergio Perez was 18^th as Williams’ Franco Colapinto and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished at the rear.

You can see the full Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix 2024 Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2024/races/1251/qatar/practice/1

#F1 Qatar Airways #QatarGP 2024 Preview. #Formula1 #QatarGrandPrix