Saudi Arabian GP: Gasly Leads Practice, Norris Encourages McLaren

Pierre Gasly surprised everyone by setting the fastest time for Alpine in the first practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, outpacing McLaren`s Lando Norris.

Gasly used fresh soft tires later than most other drivers, taking advantage of the cooler and improving track conditions to beat championship leader Norris by a very small margin of seven thousandths of a second.

Norris, who had previously mentioned that McLaren`s 2025 car design required him to adjust his driving style after a disappointing performance in Bahrain, could 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 moment when he slightly hit one of the walls at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, eventually finishing fourth, just behind Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton was slower than his teammate Leclerc, ending up eighth, half a second behind Gasly. He was just ahead of the current world champion Max Verstappen, who seemed to continue struggling with the handling of his Red Bull car.

Williams showed a good performance with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz in fifth and seventh places respectively, with Mercedes` George Russell between them. Russell couldn`t maintain his early pace on medium tires when drivers switched to soft tires.

Friday`s second practice session will give a clearer picture of the competitive order for the rest of the weekend, as it will take place at night under similar conditions to qualifying and the race.

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, aiming to maintain their strong start to the season. Ferrari has brought a new 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 to their limits before Saturday`s qualifying. There were several close calls with drivers brushing the walls during the session.

The most significant contact with the wall involved Haas` Oliver Bearman, who locked up his front tires and hit the barrier with his front right, requiring a front wing replacement.

Due to the busy track, traffic was a frequent issue. Sainz complained on the radio that Hamilton had allowed him to pass in a risky part of the circuit.

Saudi Arabian GP Practice One Timesheet