Speed racing without any surprises in Losail Circuit. Oscar Piastri He started from first place and achieved victory, scoring eight points on his goal. Reduce the difference with Lando Norris Which was third, and separated from Max Verstappen Which ranked fourth.
Australian pilot McLaren Dominate from start to finish, without feeling threatened by A George Russell Who ascended to the second step of the podium. Behind them, none of them were willing to take risks, with more losses than gains in this Saturday session.
In the first turns, after getting rid of Fernando Alonso And his companion tsunoda, Verstappen ‘threatened’ Norris. The Dutchman did not see it clearly, and with the goal achieved after minimizing the damage – he lost just one point in the fight for the World Cup – he stopped pressing the accelerator.
Aside from the title fight, the Central Region provided the real tactical scene for tonight in Qatar. yuki tsunoda, Already established as a loyal squire in red bull, He finished in honorable fifth place in front of Al-Shabab Kimi Antonelli.
The battle for the last available points had a Spanish color and the flavor of experience. fernando alonso, Make the most of your benefits aston martin, He crossed the finish line in seventh place, although he started fourth on the grid.
behind him, Carlos Sainz It worked the miracle for Williams. The Madrid native clung tenaciously to eighth place, defending the final point on the line in the face of constant harassment from before junior Isaac Hajjar. The Frenchman, from the right-back team, finished ninth, less than a second behind Sainz.
The cross on the coin in Lucille was undoubtedly the protagonist Scuderia Ferrari. In a session to forget, those in Maranello were diluted in the insignificance of the lower area.
Charles Leclerc could barely cover up the disaster with a lackluster 13th place, while Lewis Hamilton, in one of the most complicated weekends in red, fell to 17th place, ahead of even Haas and Sauber.
The risky bet didn’t work out either. Alps And an Aston Martin with the soft compound in the back. Pierre Gasly and Lance outing The only two drivers on red rubber suffered a heavy decline that prevented them from returning to the back of the grid, with the Frenchman finishing second to last, almost half a minute off the lead. A failed strategy that served as a warning to the rest: Lucille does not forgive tire inventions.
As the sun set over the desert and the engines stopped, the reading became clear: McLaren has the car to beat and Piastri has the confidence to do so. Norris saved the furniture while Verstappen played with a calculator, but on Sunday, with more laps and stops, tire management will be the supreme arbiter in the battle down to the extreme temperature.