The first round of the Qatar Grand Prix sprint weekend began under the lights, with a single free practice session, where Charles Leclerc was the fastest.
The setting sun, a strong crosswind, and numerous mistakes—this is what characterized the first third of the opening practice session, where Red Bull Racing "dominated." The big challenger McLaren, however, seemed rather unstable, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both hitting their floorboards hard, but Sergio Perez also suffered similar mishaps. Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari slowly began to reveal itself, switching from medium to soft tires to take the lead. It was here that Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc alternated setting benchmark times, with Leclerc ultimately finishing the session in first place. The unstable McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri eagerly awaited the upcoming sprint qualifying from second and third place.
