As the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix is a sprint weekend, drivers had only one hour of practice in FP1 to get ready for the action under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit. Teams and drivers tried to gather as much data as possible as way cooler temperatures than last year made conditions tricky.

Newly crowned four-time champion Max Verstappen started strong with a 1:26.3 on his first fast lap. However, his run wasn’t smooth as he complained about too much air getting into his helmet, asking for a quick change.

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas struggled with traffic, jokingly calling the situation “traffic paradise,” when Lando Norris came close to topping the leaderboard but slid off at Turn 10. His teammate Oscar Piastri had a similar moment at Turn 15.

Pierre Gasly then took a wide trip off the track between Turns 12 and 13. He asked his team over the radio to check the front of the car but no damage for the Frenchman.

Yuki Tsunoda, who is still potentially in a battle for promotion to Red Bull, surprised everyone with a quick lap of 1:26.0, temporarily taking the lead. 

However, Verstappen soon reclaimed the top spot, while George Russell had issues of his own, dealing with unresponsive brakes on his Mercedes.

Esteban Ocon was experiencing issues and had to stay in the Alpine garage for a long time while having only 9 laps completed.

Further back, Liam Lawson expressed frustration with Sergio Perez after an unclear incident, and Fernando Alonso had to dodge traffic during a chaotic start.

In the final minutes, the drivers switched to soft tyres, leading to a wave of improvements. Leclerc ended up quickest with a time of 1:21.9, finishing four-tenths ahead of Norris and Piastri. Carlos Sainz took fourth, just behind his Ferrari teammate, while Tsunoda surprised many by taking fifth place.