Pierre Gasly was the surprise pacesetter in the first practice session ahead of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
With the McLarens once again widely expected to dominate running, it was the Alpine of Gasly which ultimately clocked the fastest time with an impressive 1m29.239s.
It saw him pip Lando Norris to top spot, the lead McLaren just 0.007s behind, with team-mate Oscar Piastri fourth as the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was third.
Piastri immediately set the pace at the start of the weekend’s running although Norris – who said he was not heading into the fifth round of the championship full of confidence – soon displaced the Australian.
Having again been as open with the media as he has become known for, Norris said on Thursday he did not expect to have corrected the issues he is having with the driveability of the McLaren – even though he will start Sunday’s race three points clear at the top of the drivers’ championship standings.
While he and Piastri continue to push one another, the other usual suspects – George Russell for Mercedes and reigning world champion Max Verstappen – were once again there or thereabouts at the business end of the timing screens.
Russell bested the pace of the McLaren duo until the soft tyres went on up and down the pit lane just heading into the second half of the hour-long session.
After that it appeared as though it would be business as usual with Norris pumping in another fastest lap effort, only for Gasly to usurp the current championship leader with his own fine attempt.
Williams also looked strong in the early running around the narrow and fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with Alex Albon fifth and Carlos Sainz seventh, sandwiching Russell.
Lewis Hamilton was over half a second down on Ferrari team-mate Leclerc and had to settle for eighth, with Verstappen – again bemoaning a lack of balance in his Red Bull – ninth with Yuki Tsuonda keeping the Dutchman honest in 10th.
Liam Lawson, demoted from Red Bull to Racing Bulls in a swap with Tsunoda ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, was next in 11th, less than a tenth of a second off the pace of his replacement.
F1 Saudi Arabian GP – FP1 results
Photos from Saudi Arabian GP – Practice
In this article
Mark Mann-Bryans
Formula 1
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