Piastri back on top in Qatar Practice

Written by Jason Sharp

Piastri tops a session for the first time since Singapore. Credit: Formula One

It’s the penultimate weekend of the World Championship in Qatar, and as the sun set over the Lusail International Circuit, it was Oscar Piastri who topped the singular practice session of the weekend.

The Australian, who hasn’t finished P1 in a session since Singapore, posted a time of 1:20.924. Lando Norris loomed behind by 0.058 seconds, and Fernando Alonso was 0.386 seconds behind in P3.

Carlos Sainz and Isack Hadjar both showed strong pace in P4 and P5 respectively. They were ahead of Max Verstappen, who had a frustrating session ending in P6.

Alex Albon made it a double top ten for Williams in P7, ahead of Charles Leclerc in P8. The Monegasque complained of a lack of feel in his Ferrari. Lance Stroll finished in P9, and Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top 10.

Hadjar produced a rapid soft tyre run in this mixed ordered session. Credit: Formula One

The top 14 drivers were separated by less than a second. All drivers ran the hard tyres until there were 10 minutes remaining; they then put on the softs for their fast runs.

The conditions at this physical, 5.2km track were difficult for the drivers. Gusts of wind and a lack of mechanical grip resulted in many wide moments for the drivers. It will also be difficult for the teams; such limited running ahead of Sprint Qualifying leaves little time to fine tune car setup.

Tyres will also be a headache for all. Pirelli have mandated a 25-lap limit on all compounds for this weekend due the number of high-speed corners and excessive wear this causes. All teams will be doing two pit stops in the 57-lap race, leaving little opportunity for gains through strategy.

Looking Ahead:

There is a prospect of a new World Champion this weekend. Norris needs only to outscore his rivals by two points by the weekend’s end to seal the title.

Piastri is behind by 24 points but has beaten Norris in the last two visits to Qatar. Verstappen is level with Piastri on points, and the Dutchman has led the last 114 consecutive laps at this circuit.

Recent form from all protagonists at this circuit could mean the title goes to the wire. It will soon be revealed who will get the small margins right as we look ahead to Sprint Qualifying and the rest of the weekend.