In a circuit, the Losailwhich seems favorable to McLarentried to force his way in Ferrariwho also feels comfortable in Qatar. Leclercwho had led the first and only round of free practice, threatened the superiority of the Briton’s papaya orange car, which nevertheless achieved the best time and will start the sprint race with a clear horizon.
Above the desert Qatar a step forward was expected McLarenthe victory of Piastri in the 2023 sprint and finished third in last season’s sprint race with Norris second. But if Ferrari wasn’t so dominant Las Vegas As expected, they appear to have accumulated additional performance points in Qatar. Or at least that was the conclusion after the free practice sessions.
A clearer domination of McLaren was expected, but in the end They managed to seize the first two rows of the grid after a Friday in which there was speculation about a possible surprise by Leclerc. Those of the car suffered from understeer Prancing horse and Lando with pole and Piastri with his third place dealt a big blow to the Scuderia.
The Woking team finished the session more calmly than it seemed. Norris and Piastri played with their margins and only one unexpected guest slipped through. George Russell. The Briton, in a state of grace, will start second and become the ham in McLaren’s sandwich in the Qatar sprint. Verstappenwithout any challenge, finished sixth. He did well to seal the World Cup as soon as he could.
Norris triumphs and Alonso falls by 40 thousandths
Alonso was about to perform a miracle with Aston Martinanother. He squeezed his AMR24 until he was practically in the definitive SQ3. Only one Gasly the superlative prevented him from doing so. 40 thousandths difference which leaned in favor of the French driver. The evolution of the track was constant, the layout offered better grip with each passing second.
Alonso crossed before Gasly and Gasly took advantage. Despite this, the Asturian showed his competitive side. A little breath of oxygen for a season finale which promises to be long for the British team. In the same way as Pérezwhich fell further in SQ1.
Collect now up to six eliminations in the first cut of the traditional ranking this season. The points were not distributed this Friday, this will happen on Saturday and Sunday, but McLaren has already dealt a major blow to the World Constructors’ Championship.
