Qualifying Results for the Qatar Grand Prix: Verstappen Fastest, Ferrari Takes Second and Third!

In the first practice session for the Qatar F1 Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Verstappen set the fastest time with a lap of 1:27.428. Ferrari’s Sainz and Leclerc followed in second and third place, respectively. Aston Martin’s Alonso claimed fourth, having achieved his time on medium tires. It seems like Aston Martin is showing strong form this weekend.

The session took place in the evening local time, with drivers from Haas and Alfa Romeo emerging early from the pit lane.

Due to the dusty conditions in Qatar, track conditions were challenging. Many spectators initially mistook the dust trails for rain, but it was actually sand, a rare sight at most circuits.

Turn issues affected several drivers due to the poor conditions, with Norris and Verstappen crashing into foam barriers.

About halfway through practice, Alonso from Aston Martin, using hard tires, temporarily set the fastest lap with his performance.

Data showed Alonso excelling in slow and medium-speed corners, leading all competitors.

After forty minutes, Piastri from McLaren refreshed the fastest lap with a new hard tire, clocking 1:28.380.

With five minutes left in the session, Alonso improved the fastest lap, achieving 1:27.919 on a medium tire – indicating a strong potential from his Aston Martin this weekend.

In the closing stages, Verstappen from Red Bull used new soft tires to shave off time, but his 1:27.428 was only marginally faster than Alonso by 0.491 seconds, suggesting there’s still more to come from Alonso.

Finally, let’s look at the results and rankings for the last ten positions: Sottell, Albon, Hamilton, Stroll, Ocon, Gasly, Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Lawson, and Magnussen.