As it happened: 2024 Qatar Grand Prix first practice

This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.

First practice for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix is coming up next. This is the only practice session for this weekend’s race – the drivers get an hour of running and then qualifying for the sprint race will follow

So it’s no surprise we have no one-off practice drivers this weekend – expect to see plenty at the season finale at Yas Marina a week from now though.

Most of those who have gone out so far have opted for the medium tyre compound, but the Ferrari drivers are out on hards.

Max Verstappen wastes no time setting a competitive lap with a 1’26.338 on mediums. F1 has raced here with no support events in previous years but Formula 2 and F1 Academy have already been on-track today so it won’t be too dusty.

There’s a big question mark over how competitive Mercedes will be this weekend after their unexpectedly strong showing in Las Vegas. George Russell puts up a 1’26.756, four tenths of a second off Verstappen, also on mediums. Esteban Ocon then puts his Alpine an encouraging third.

Yuki Tsunoda flies to a 1’25.970 to go fastest by 0.368s. This will be a fascinating weekend to compare him to his team mate, as this is the only track Liam Lawson previously raced at in Formula 1.

Charles Leclerc has his hard tyres going well now and goes quickest with a 1’25.486, a tenth up on Verstappen on mediums.

Russell takes a big chunk off the fastest time with a 1’24.901 on mediums, well over half a second faster than Leclerc.

Pierre Gasly, who was a surprise third on the grid in Las Vegas, narrowly beats Russell’s fastest time by less than a tenth of a second. Lando Norris not far behind in third place.

A massive improvement from Verstappen now, almost a second faster than anyone else with a 1’23.885.

Hamilton, 13th, complains he’s “got no stability”. With 20 minutes gone Leclerc goes quickest on his hards with a 1’23.702.

Just Lawson on the track now. McLaren hard at work on Norris’ car.

Norris runs wide in turns four and five. He improves in sector one on his next lap, then backs off.

Norris keeps chipping away at the first sector, he’s just done the best time there again, not as quick in the middle sector though. He goes second as Leclerc improves the best time to a 1’23.419.

Sainz takes the top time of his team mate with a 1’23.068, 0.351s up on Leclerc. The Ferrari drivers getting better times out of their hard tyres as the rest plug away on their mediums.

Perez, 13th, says “that McLaren is flying”. Norris is quickest of anyone on mediums by just over a tenth of a second from Perez’s team mate.

Leclerc, second, suspects something isn’t right with his brake pedal. Norris gets held up by one of the RBs in the final corner.

All the drivers are either in the pits or heading there. Sainz leads a Ferrari one-two followed by Norris, Gasly, Verstappen, Piastri, Alonso, Russell, Tsunoda, Albon and Hulkenberg.

Franco Colapinto is the first driver onto softs. Williams had to revert him to their old specification suspension following his heavy crash in qualifying last weekend.

The Williams driver gets into one of the new gravel traps at the exit of turn 14 which ruins his lap. His team mate and the Sauber drivers are out on softs now.

Alexander Albon shows what the Williams can do: A 1’23.465 puts him third behind the Ferraris.

We’re about to get a flurry of lap times on soft rubber. Hulkenberg and Leclerc among those posting fastest sector times.

Verstappen goes third with a 1’23.213. Leclerc is almost a full second faster with a 1’22.242 to go top, quickest in all three sectors.

How do McLaren measure up against Ferrari? Oscar Piastri goes fastest of all in the first sector.

Piastri falls short of Leclerc by just under two-tenths of a second. Norris can’t beat the Ferrari either, he’s a tenth of a second off. Sainz fourth.

Lots of drivers dropping wheels into the various new gravel traps on their fastest runs including Piastri and Verstappen. Stroll an impressive fifth for Aston Martin so far.

Leclerc improves again to a 1’21.953, he’s now over four tenths of a second ahead of Norris. “There was a mistake in four, five,” he said.

An impressive lap by Bottas at the end of the session puts the Sauber driver in sixth place.

The chequered flag drops with Leclerc fastest, comfortably ahead of the two McLarens, Sainz fourth and both Red Bulls in the second half of the times.

That wraps up the only practice session of the weekend. Read our full report here

2024 Qatar Grand Prix

• Horner ‘believes 100%’ Verstappen did not threaten to crash into Russell
• Russell and Verstappen cast new light on clash which triggered explosive row
• Hamilton’s puncture not caused by mirror debris – Mercedes
• Another start-to-finish win shows Qatar GP could be F1’s most processional race
• “Am I dead last now?” Unheard radio from Hamilton’s disastrous Qatar GP