Pierre Gasly surprised everyone by setting the fastest time for Alpine in the first practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beating McLaren`s Lando Norris.
Gasly used fresh soft tyres later in the session, taking advantage of cooler and improving track conditions to outpace championship leader Norris by a tiny margin of seven thousandths of a second.
Norris, who had mentioned that McLaren`s 2025 car was requiring him to adjust his driving style after a disappointing Bahrain race, will be encouraged by finishing ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri by almost a tenth of a second.
Piastri, the Bahrain winner who is close behind Norris in the standings, had a minor incident, slightly hitting a wall at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, and finished fourth behind Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton was slower than his teammate Leclerc, ending up eighth, half a second behind Gasly. He was followed by world champion Max Verstappen, who seemed to still be struggling with his Red Bull`s balance.
Williams also showed good performance, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz in fifth and seventh places respectively. George Russell in the Mercedes was between them, unable to keep up his early pace on medium tyres when others switched to softs.
The second practice session on Friday evening, happening in similar conditions to qualifying and the race, is expected to give a clearer picture of the competitive order for the rest of the weekend.
This session will also provide more insights into the effectiveness of upgrades brought by Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren to Saudi Arabia.
McLaren has introduced a new diffuser and rear corner for their MCL39 to maintain their strong start to the season. Ferrari has brought an updated rear wing, and Red Bull has a new engine cover.
The Jeddah circuit is known for being high-speed and challenging, meaning drivers will gradually push their limits before Saturday`s qualifying. There were already several close calls with drivers brushing the walls during practice.
The most significant contact was from Haas` Oliver Bearman, who locked up his front tyres and hit the barrier, damaging his front wing and requiring a replacement.
Due to the tight and twisty nature of the track, traffic was a constant issue. Sainz complained on the radio that Hamilton had allowed him to pass in a dangerous section of the circuit.
Saudi Arabian GP Practice One Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:29.239 |
| 2) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.007 |
| 3) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.070 |
| 4) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.102 |
| 5) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.367 |
| 6) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.379 |
| 7) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.540 |
| 8) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.576 |
| 9) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.579 |
| 10) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.582 |
| 11) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.668 |
| 12) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +0.677 |
| 13) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.695 |
| 14) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.737 |
| 15) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.772 |
| 16) Jack Doohan | Alpine | +0.944 |
| 17) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.344 |
| 18) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.356 |
| 19) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.790 |
| 20) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +1.799 |
Sky Sports F1`s Saudi Arabian GP Schedule
- 3.55pm: F2 Qualifying
- 4.40pm: Team Bosses` Press Conference
- 5.45pm: Saudi Arabian GP Practice Two (session starts at 6pm)
- 7.25pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
- 8.10pm: The F1 Show
- 1.15pm: F1 Academy Race 1
- 2.05pm: Saudi Arabian GP Practice Three (session starts at 2.30pm)*
- 4.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 5.10pm: Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying build-up
- 6pm: SAUDI ARABIAN GP QUALIFYING
- 1pm: F1 Academy Race 2
- 2.20pm: F2 Feature Race
- 4.30pm: Saudi Arabian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- 6pm: THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX*
- 8pm: Saudi Arabian GP reaction: Chequered flag
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Marcus Prine