Verstappen tops FP1 in Qatar, after struggling with grip issues early on
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Max Verstappen didn't let the slippery sand slow him down in Qatar, as he topped the weekend's only practice session. He finished ahead of both the Ferraris, as Carlos Sainz finished second, and Charles Leclerc was in third.
Conditions poor from the get-go
The start of the session was headlined by the fact that the sand was all over the track in Qatar, causing a lack of grip issues for everyone. Verstappen and Sainz were the main culprits in complaining over the radio first as they struggled to adjust.
It was Mercedes and Aston Martin that seemed to be the biggest benefactors from this, though, as not only did George Russell spend most of the first part of the session on top of the timesheets, but his teammate Lewis Hamilton also put in respectable times and veteran Fernando Alonso would also put his Aston Martin on top of the timesheets at times within the first 20 minutes.
Issues arise for Ferrari
Leclerc would report issues with his Ferrari halfway through the session, as he complained of a weird noise coming out of his car, and he pulled into his pit box. With Sainz suffering with a sensor issue right at the beginning of the session, it was cause for concern for the Italian outfit. That being said, Leclerc was able to get back on track within 10 minutes of his reported issue.
Alonso continued to show his skill in his Aston Martin, as he drove it into P1 for a majority of the middle part of the session, and teammate Lance Stroll also showed great improvement throughout the session. However, as we entered the final third it was Piastri who would be fastest in his McLaren, which seemed to be suiting the high-speed nature of Losail.
McLaren and Ferrari benefitted from high speed and low grip
The Ferraris would come back from their reported issues to show great pace alongside the McLarens. They finished the longer runs as some of the fastest on-track with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Once the soft tyres had been brought out, we saw the times dropping very quickly, with Logan Sargeant and Nico Hulkenberg showing signs of pace as they forced themselves into the top six at times. Although it was ultimately the usual suspects that topped the timing charts as Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Alonso, and Perez finished as the top five.