Live – Qatar Grand Prix: follow Free Practice 1 with live commentary

One week after officially clinching his world championship title, Max Verstappen returns to the track with the 19 other drivers on the grid this weekend in Losail, Qatar. The paddock is entering the 23rd race weekend of the season, the last in sprint format. Drivers will only have one hour of track time before the qualifications for the sprint race, scheduled for this afternoon at 6:30 PM.

Follow Free Practice 1 live commented

– 24 min: All drivers in the pits. End of the first stint for the drivers, who return to the pits before starting the second part of the session.

– 20 min: Scare for Sergio Pérez! The Mexican loses the rear a bit and cuts through one of the gravel traps on the track. His floor must have suffered.

– 19 min: Gasly confirms his form from the beginning of the session by taking the 3rd fastest time, with a record in the second sector.

– 17 min: The Ferraris have a lot of pace. Charles Leclerc sets the fastest time on hard tires, despite already completing nine laps on the track. The Monegasque driver is ahead of Verstappen, Norris, and Sainz.

– 15 min: Pierre Gasly sets the fastest time, but Max Verstappen immediately surpasses him. The Dutchman has a lead of 0.934s over the Frenchman!

– 12 min: Who is using which tyre? Everyone is on mediums except for Ferrari, Williams, Perez, and Lawson, who are testing hards.

– 10 min: The times drop. Tsunoda is now 10th, beaten by Russell, Norris, Leclerc, Bottas, Verstappen, Gasly, Ocon, Hamilton, and Sainz.

– 8 min: Yuki Tsunoda at the top of the timing sheet. Red Bull’s blasphemy: the four-time reigning champion dethroned by a driver from the B team! Of course, we are joking, but Yuki Tsunoda has just beaten the reference time set a few minutes ago by Max Verstappen.

– 7 min: Track traffic. « Traffic heaven », even according to Valtteri Bottas.

– 6 min: Verstappen has a small helmet issue, complaining about too much air hitting his face. He will change his headgear during his next pit stop.

– 5 min: Max Verstappen is the fastest. At the beginning of the session, the Dutchman is ahead of the Ferraris. Sainz and Leclerc are on hard tires, the Red Bull is on mediums.

– 1min – Let’s get started with the session! Esteban Ocon is the first driver on track, followed by Pierre Gasly.

– Hello everyone! Welcome to this live coverage to follow together the Free Practice 1 of the Qatar Grand Prix. The session will start at 2:30 pm French time, as the night slowly falls on the Losail circuit.