The first practice session for the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint weekend began under the bright lights of Lusail, with drivers eager to get back on track. George Russell led the way for Mercedes, heading out first as the field began preparations for the season’s penultimate race weekend. Most drivers started on the hard tyres, using the opening laps to familiarise themselves with the circuit and the gravel strips placed on some corners to discourage exceeding track limits.

Russell quickly set the early pace with a 1:24.7, showing that he was comfortable on the track despite reporting that his cockpit was unusually hot. Lando Norris struggled to find a rhythm early on, running oversteer and sitting outside the top ten. Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri were quicker initially, with Verstappen just ahead of Piastri by two-tenths of a second.

Other drivers faced their own challenges. Verstappen reported that his steering suddenly felt “really weird”, while Charles Leclerc told Ferrari that he could barely feel the power steering. Both drivers then made mistakes, with Verstappen getting stuck behind Pierre Gasly and Leclerc running wide at Turn 4.

As the session progressed, several other drivers also ran wide, including Oliver Bearman and Lewis Hamilton. Norris asked his engineer where he could find 1.6 seconds and, after advice on which corners he was losing time, improved slightly to eleventh place, still well behind the leaders. The track continued to be tricky, with gravel scattered across it from earlier off-track moments, making it harder for drivers to maintain clean laps.

In the final 15 minutes, Russell remained fastest ahead of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Norris, Fernando Alonso, and Alexander Albon were close behind in the top six. Verstappen struggled for pace in his Red Bull, while Bearman and Hadjar moved up quickly after switching to soft tyres. Hadjar even briefly took the lead before the top teams improved their laps. Norris managed to reach first briefly, but Piastri responded immediately with a 1:20.924, narrowly taking the fastest time of FP1. Norris made a small off-track error on his final lap, and Russell also ran wide in the closing stages.

When the session ended, Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets, followed closely by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in second. Fernando Alonso put in a strong performance to finish third for Aston Martin, while Carlos Sainz ended up fourth for Williams. Isack Hadjar impressed in fifth for Racing Bulls, with Max Verstappen sixth in the Red Bull. Alexander Albon finished seventh for Williams, just ahead of Charles Leclerc in eighth for Ferrari. Lance Stroll secured ninth for Aston Martin, and Kimi Antonelli completed the top ten for Mercedes.