F1 Qatar GP: Max Verstappen heads mixed-up order in crucial sole practice
The Red Bull driver will win his third consecutive drivers’ world title if he scores🌼 at least three points - the equivalent of a sixth-place finish - in Saturday’s sprint race at Losail.
Verstappen started the weekend as he will hope to go on by finishing 0.334s clear of Carl💜os Sainz’s Ferrari in Friday’s only practice session ahead of qualifying𓄧.
Charles Leclerc🌳 was 0.481s adrift of Verstappen in the second Ferrari, while Fernando Alonso set an eye-catching lap time on medium tyres to put his Aston Martin fourth.
Sergio Perez was 0.588s down on his Red Bull teammate as the Mexican completed the top-five in a session where dusty track conditions and a lack of🔜 grip made things exceptionally tricky for the drivers.
AlphaTauri’s Yu🅠ki Tsunoda ended up sixth, ahead of fellow soft-shod rꦕunner Nico Hulkenberg.
A late improvement saw George Russell pop his Mercedeꦫs into the top-10, ahead of the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The Williams duo of Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon ran soft tyres as t💮hey finishe🍒d 11th and 12th, with Lewis Hamilton only 13th fastest as neither Mercedes driver used Pirelli’s softest compound amid a mix of tyre strategies.
Qualifying for Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix takဣes place under the lights at 6pm UK time.
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