Practice 1 Report - Gasly leads first practice

Pierre Gasly
© Alpine

Pierre Gasly in his Alpine delivered a surprise performance to top the timesheets in the opening practice session of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, clocking a 1m29.239s lap that edged out McLaren's Lando Norris by just 0.007 seconds.

While the daylight session offers limited clues ahead of Sunday's night race in Jeddah, Gasly's late flyer in the Alpine caught the paddock off guard. It was a rare moment at the top for a team that has struggled for form throughout the early rounds of the season.

McLaren had looked strong once again, with Oscar Piastri setting the early pace before Norris took over mid-session. The Briton, who leads the drivers' championship by three points, was not particularly optimistic heading into the weekend, citing unresolved issues with the McLaren's driveability. Still, he managed to stay in the fight at the front.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc slotted into third, while Piastri held fourth by the end of the hour-long session. George Russell showed solid pace for Mercedes, running with the leaders until the field switched to soft tyres in the second half. He eventually finished sixth, behind a surprisingly quick Alex Albon in fifth for Williams.

Carlos Sainz, still recovering form after a low-key run in the previous round, took seventh for Williams. Lewis Hamilton was eighth, over half a second down on Leclerc, while Max Verstappen struggled again with balance and had to settle for ninth. The reigning champion has voiced frustration over the Red Bull's handling in recent races, and Jeddah offered no immediate relief.

His team mate Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten, just ahead of Liam Lawson, who was moved out of Red Bull in a swap with Tsunoda before the Japanese Grand Prix. Lawson was only a tenth off his replacement, offering a reminder of his raw speed.

While FP1 in Saudi Arabia rarely sets the tone for the rest of the weekend due to the change in conditions between day and night, Gasly's effort stands out as a morale-boosting result for Alpine, who will now look to carry momentum into the more meaningful evening sessions.