The first sprint session of the Qatar Grand Prix week started under lights, with Charles Leclerc fastest.
With the sun setting, a strong crosswind, and plenty of mistakes, this was the first third of the opening session, where Red Bull Racing dominated. However, their great rival McLaren seemed quite unstable, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri hitting the ground hard, and Sergio Pérez also had similar problems. Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari slowly began to take off, switching from medium to soft tires and positioning itself at the front. Here, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took turns setting benchmark times, with the latter ultimately closing out the session in first place. The seemingly unstable McLaren pairing, led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, awaits the imminent sprint qualifying from second and third positions.
