P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Verstappen heads mixed-up order in crucial sole Qatar practice
If the Red Bull driver scores at least three points in Saturday’s sprint race at Losail, he will secure his third consecutive drivers’ world title. In Friday’s practice session, Verstappen finished ahead of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari by 0.334s, setting a strong pace for the weekend. Charles Leclerc trailed Verstappen by 0.481s in the second Ferrari, while Fernando Alonso impressed with a fourth-place lap time on medium tires in his Aston Martin. Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, finished fifth, 0.588s off the pace. Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri and Nico Hulkenberg also had solid performances, claiming sixth and seventh places respectively. George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and Lando Norris completed the top-10, with Lewis Hamilton only managing 13th fastest due to the mixed tire strategies employed by Mercedes. Qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix will take place at 6pm UK time under the lights.
Source: Crash
