The first part of the Qatar Show began in electric light, as did the only free practice sessions, in which Charles Leclerc was the fastest.
The setting sun, strong crosswinds, and a number of mistakes characterized the first third of the opening practice session, which was dominated by Red Bull Racing. However, the great challenger McLaren seemed to be quite unstable, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri seriously damaging the floor, as did Sergio Perez. In the meantime, Scuderia Ferrari slowly began to develop, switching from medium to soft compounds and taking the lead. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took turns setting the benchmark times, with the latter finally closing the session in first place. The unstable McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can look forward to second and third places ahead of the upcoming sprint qualifying.
