McLaren stands out on soft tyres, Max strong on long runs: Ferrari struggles with power steering
The first free practice session of the Qatar Grand Prix ended with both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, topping the timesheets, even if the search for performance was not entirely straightforward. The MCL39s delivered a strong impression on the soft qualifying tyres, in contrast with Max Verstappen, who appeared more convincing during his race-run simulations. Ferrari ended the session further back, with Charles Leclerc openly critical of the SF-25’s power steering on a circuit that places enormous stress on steering assistance.
McLaren showing signs of growth
The only practice session of the weekend unfolded on a track significantly hotter than last year’s edition, with temperatures climbing beyond 30°C. Almost every team opted to spend most of the session on the hard compound, signalling a strategy to preserve softer tyres for the Sprint and the Grand Prix. On the C1 tyre, both Mercedes cars and Max Verstappen made a strong impression, while McLaren initially looked more uncomfortable, especially with Lando Norris.
The championship leader was forced into several steering corrections, spending long stretches in the garage to fine-tune the setup. He even asked his engineer for guidance on where he could improve his driving, confirming the early lack of rhythm.
The picture changed dramatically in the final fifteen minutes, as all teams switched to the soft tyre to simulate qualifying conditions. As drivers pushed toward the limit, many cars showed instability, with extreme front-end pointiness aimed at helping rotation in high-speed corners. In this context, McLaren emerged as the most competitive, thanks to a naturally stable platform and its ability to bring the soft tyres into their operating window immediately.
Norris could not improve on his second attempt, but he still appeared close to Oscar Piastri, who looked revitalised on a more traditional track layout and now awaits confirmation of his pace in qualifying.
Red Bull chasing, Ferrari a question mark
Max Verstappen finished the session in sixth place, nearly six tenths behind Oscar Piastri. Part of the gap was due to Red Bull’s decision to return to the garage without completing a second push lap on softs, likely to make setup changes and/or preserve the tyre set for later sessions. Regardless, during the qualifying simulations, the RB21 did not appear on the same level as the orange cars — although it remains difficult to determine whether this comes from tyre preparation or from setup limitations.
Verstappen complained that the car felt “too soft,” causing it to bounce when he lifted off the throttle, and also mentioned that the hybrid deployment map was not optimal, cutting power on the exit of Turn 6.
Mercedes initially emerged among the strongest teams on hard tyres, but once on softs, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell could not go beyond tenth and fourteenth place respectively. At the moment, the Silver Arrows remain hard to judge — much like Ferrari, who finished twelfth with Lewis Hamilton and eighth with Charles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc reported an excessively light steering wheel due to the power steering system, saying that it prevented him from clearly feeling the front tyres. This affected both his driving and his ability to assess the car’s balance. He had raised similar concerns about the power steering in Silverstone, another circuit dominated by fast corners where steering assistance is crucial. This suggests that either the issue is persisting or Ferrari is experimenting with some new configuration.
Race-run simulations
The session also included several race-run simulations, all carried out on hard tyres. As seen in previous events, McLaren adopted an aggressive work plan, starting their long-run attempts immediately after finishing their time-attack laps, a sign of low fuel levels comparable to Ferrari’s approach. The comparison between Red Bull and Mercedes looked more representative, with Max Verstappen standing out over the long distance after a more conservative start to his stint.
| Verstappen | Russell | Antonelli | Piastri | Norris | Leclerc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1’26’’6 | 1’26’’1 | 1’26’’5 | 1’23’’2 | 1’25’’2 | 1’25’’1 |
| 1’26’’3 | 1’25’’9 | 1’26’’0 | Slow lap | 1’24’’3 | Slow lap |
| 1’26’’2 | 1’25’’5 | 1’25’’8 | 1’25’’0 | 1’24’’8 | 1’24’’3 |
| 1’25’’8 | 1’25’’3 | 1’25’’8 | 1’24’’5 | 1’25’’2 | 1’24’’2 |
| 1’25’’0 | 1’26’’0 | 1’26’’3 | 1’24’’4 | 1’24’’9 | |
| 1’25’’0 | 1’25’’4 | 1’25’’3 | 1’24’’2 | ||
| 1’25’’3 | Alto | 1’25’’4 | 1’24’’5 | ||
| 1’24’’8 | 1’25’’2 | 1’25’’6 | 1’25’’1 | ||
| 1’25’’3 | 1’25’’4 | 1’25’’5 | 1’23’’6 | ||
| 1’25’’1 | Alto | ||||
| 1’24’’9 | 1’25’’0 | ||||
| 1’24’’6 | 1’24’’7 |
Across all simulations, there was a clear trend of lap times progressively decreasing, indicating manageable tyre degradation — especially important given the imposed limit of 25 laps per tyre set. The main concern remains mechanical wear, with Verstappen reporting noticeable deterioration of his front-left tyre after only four laps.
Nevertheless, the track demonstrated a rapid evolution, suggesting that conditions should improve for qualifying and for both races. Teams will need to anticipate this development with precise setup choices to extract maximum performance.
One practice session down, and the Qatar weekend already looks set to deliver another thrilling three-way fight at the front.
