Fans were left stunned as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly topped the timesheets in a surprising turn of events during the opening practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
While most eyes were on the usual suspects — Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton — it was Gasly who stole the spotlight. Running on soft tyres, the Frenchman clocked the fastest lap in FP1, ahead of both McLarens and current championship leader Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc managed to wedge his Ferrari between the two McLarens, taking third place and splitting Norris and Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, the session proved difficult for two of the sport’s biggest names. Hamilton ended the session in P8, while Verstappen was just behind in P9, both drivers struggling to find rhythm on the Jeddah street circuit.
Despite it being only FP1, the unexpected leaderboard shake-up has already sparked speculation about the weekend ahead. However, with FP2 — the more representative session due to similar lighting and track conditions as qualifying and the race — still to come, teams are keeping their cards close to their chest.
Elsewhere, Haas rookie Ollie Bearman had a close call. The young Brit locked up heading into Turn 1 and brushed the barrier, but managed to escape unscathed by veering into the run-off area, avoiding what could’ve been a costly crash.
As Formula 1 returns to the high-speed night streets of Saudi Arabia, all eyes now turn to FP2 — where the true pecking order may begin to reveal itself.
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