2025 F1 Qatar Grand Prix – FP1 Report: McLaren One-Two as Piastri Leads Opening Practice at Lusail

Free Practice 1 for the 2025 F1 Qatar Grand Prix (Round 23 of the 2025 F1 World Championship) got underway on Friday, November 28th at the Lusail International Circuit, with McLaren setting the early benchmark.

Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets with a 1:20.924, leading a McLaren one-two ahead of teammate Lando Norris, while Fernando Alonso put Aston Martin into the top three. Yuki Tsunoda ended the session 13th for Red Bull after a more complicated hour for the reigning champions.

McLaren Starts Strong: Piastri Leads Norris in FP1

McLaren hit the ground running in Qatar.

Oscar Piastri finished FP1 fastest with a lap of 1:20.924, with Lando Norris just 0.058s behind. The pair locked out the top two positions, underlining McLaren’s strong baseline setup around Lusail’s fast, flowing layout.

Fernando Alonso claimed third place for Aston Martin, continuing the team’s trend of strong single-lap pace on Friday sessions. While McLaren looked immediately comfortable, both Red Bull and Ferrari appeared to be on the back foot, still searching for the right balance and grip.

Verstappen Battles Steering and Shifting Issues

It was a scrappy start to the weekend for Max Verstappen.

Throughout FP1, Verstappen reported multiple issues over team radio, including that “the steering suddenly felt weird” and that gear shifts felt inconsistent. On top of that, he struggled with traction out of Turn 6, where the RB21 looked unstable under power.

Despite the problems, Verstappen still managed to end the session sixth, but the body language and radio messages suggested a lot of work remains for Red Bull overnight if they want to fight McLaren and Aston Martin on pure pace.

Young Guns Shine: Hadjar and Bearman Mix It in the Midfield

The second half of the session saw the soft tyres come into play, and that’s when some of the young names began to climb the timing screens.

Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar made the most of the grippier compound to surge up to fifth place, an eye-catching result that will boost both his confidence and the team’s hopes for the weekend.

At Haas, Oliver Bearman also impressed, briefly climbing into the upper half of the order as he hooked up a strong lap on softs. While the final classification shuffled constantly in the closing minutes, both Hadjar and Bearman showed they could be key players in what looks like a very tight midfield battle.

Ferrari Still Chasing Balance as Leclerc Complains of Steering

Ferrari’s Friday started with more questions than answers.

Charles Leclerc reported that he “can’t feel anything” through the steering, a worrying comment that suggests a lack of front-end confidence and feedback. Even so, he still managed to finish eighth, indicating that there is underlying speed in the car once the balance issues are resolved.

Lewis Hamilton, now in red, ended FP1 in 12th place, and both Ferrari drivers experienced notable off-track excursions as they probed the limits on the low-grip surface. The Scuderia clearly has more setup work to do if they want to challenge McLaren and Aston Martin over one lap and in race trim.

Tyre Limits Shape FP1 Run Plans

One of the defining factors of the Qatar weekend is the 25-lap maximum limit imposed on every tyre set, forcing teams to think carefully about how they spread mileage across practice, sprint qualifying, and the race.

In FP1, most teams focused on the hard compound in the early stages, prioritising long runs and data gathering rather than chasing headline times.

• Hard tyres: Used heavily early on to “bank” laps without burning softer compounds.

• Medium tyres: Largely preserved for the competitive sessions, particularly sprint qualifying and race runs.

• Soft tyres: Saved for late-session time attacks, which is when the order shuffled and drivers like Piastri, Norris, Hadjar and Bearman rose to the top half of the timesheets.

This tyre management narrative will continue to dictate strategies throughout the weekend, especially with sprint qualifying on the schedule.

Low Grip and Dusty Track Lead to Mistakes

With few support races running before F1 took to the track, Lusail started the weekend in an extremely low-grip condition.

Drivers reported a slippery surface and there were numerous off-track moments, particularly around Turn 15, where several cars ran wide as they tried to build confidence and tyre temperature.

The track is expected to rubber in quickly as more sessions are completed, which means:

• The pecking order could shift significantly after sprint qualifying.

• Teams that struggled in FP1, like Ferrari and Red Bull, may find more grip and balance later in the weekend.

• McLaren and Aston Martin will be keen to confirm that their strong FP1 pace holds up once the circuit conditions improve.

Looking Ahead

FP1 at the 2025 F1 Qatar Grand Prix has already set an intriguing tone:

• McLaren looks sharp out of the box, with Piastri and Norris leading the way.

• Red Bull faces work to resolve Verstappen’s steering and shifting complaints.

• Ferrari continues to chase a more predictable, confidence-inspiring setup.

• Young talents like Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman are ready to pounce in a tightly packed midfield.

As the track evolves and tyre allocation strategies come into sharper focus, sprint qualifying and the race promise major swings in form – and potentially another twist in the 2025 F1 World Championship storyline at Lusail.