Gasly leads the pack in Saudi Arabian GP FP1, holding off Norris and Leclerc

Dominika Jordan
Apr 18, 2025, 10:43 AM ET

Pierre Gasly leads FP1 in Jeddah for Alpine, topping Norris and Leclerc in a strong start.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Pierre Gasly kickstarted the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend with a stunning display during the first Free Practice session, topping the timesheets for Alpine ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Jeddah. The French driver’s lap of 1:29.239 was enough to edge Norris by a razor-thin margin of 0.007 seconds in sweltering conditions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Coming off Alpine’s strongest performance of the season last weekend in Bahrain, Gasly’s FP1 result raised eyebrows in the paddock. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, aiming for redemption after a challenging start to the season, slotted into third, seven-tenths adrift of the leading duo. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the Bahrain GP winner, maintained his momentum by claiming fourth, just behind his teammate Norris.

The session began at 4:30 PM local time under humid skies, with Haas driver Esteban Ocon leading the pack out on medium-compound tires. Early laps saw excitement and near-misses, as several drivers brushed against the Jeddah circuit's unforgiving walls. Gasly himself came close to contact, as did Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile, Piastri faced an unusual distraction, reporting that his drink was leaking inside his helmet.

George Russell, driving for Mercedes, initially set the pace with a lap of 1:29.674, holding a three-tenths advantage over Norris. Max Verstappen of Red Bull followed in third at that stage, before Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz jumped into second during his first run on soft tires. The Spaniard is continuing to adapt to his new role at Williams, and the early pace hints at promising progress.

As the session unfolded, most teams switched focus to soft-tire runs, leading to reshuffled timings. Norris briefly claimed the top spot with a lap of 1:29.246, three-tenths ahead of Russell and four-tenths clear of his McLaren teammate Piastri. However, Gasly delivered a spectacular lap late in the session to surge to the top, leaving Norris and Leclerc trailing by the narrowest of margins.

Carlos Sainz voiced his frustration over team radio when he encountered a slow-moving Ferrari mid-lap, calling attention to traffic concerns. For Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, a solid soft-tire lap went unrewarded after the French rookie was forced to abandon the effort due to congestion on the track.

Elsewhere, Alex Albon secured a solid fifth place for Williams, finishing just ahead of Russell, who reported something feeling “weird under braking” in his W16. Sainz settled for seventh, closely followed by Hamilton in eighth. The Red Bulls of Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10.

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson managed P11 but faces a post-session investigation for allegedly failing to adhere to Race Director instructions regarding the painted area between the pit lane and the track. Behind him, Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg claimed 12th place, followed by Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli in 13th.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Hadjar finished 14th and 15th, respectively. Jack Doohan took 16th for Alpine, while Lance Stroll languished in 17th for Aston Martin. The Haas drivers, Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, placed 18th and 19th, while Gabriel Bortoleto of Kick Sauber rounded out the order in 20th.

With FP1 in the books, all eyes now turn to the second Free Practice session, set to take place under the floodlights at 8:00 PM local time. Teams will be busy analyzing FP1 data, looking for improvements ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s race.