Formula 1 News: Gasly tops Practice 1 for 2025 GP of Saudi Arabia
Alpine No. 10 driver Pierre Gasly surprised the paddock by turning the fastest lap in opening practice for the 2025 GP of Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Driving a car that is known to be down on power to the top teams, Gasly’s time of 1m29.239s was just 0.007s faster than Lando Norris in the superior #4 McLaren during a hot FP1.
Gasly did set his time later than the other front-runners, but it is still a good lap time.
Charles Leclerc was third in the No. 16 Ferrari, 0.070s behind Gasly’s Alpine.
Oscar Piastri was 4th in the 2nd superior McLaren, 0.102s behind Gasly.
Alex Albon rounded out the top-5, for Mercedes, 0.367s behind Gasly.
George Russell was 6th for Mercedes, followed by Carlos Sainz Jr., Lewis Hamilton’s #44 Ferrari, while the two Red Bull RB21 sleds of ax Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top-10.
McLaren looked fast on both the mediums and the softs, but neither driver looked 100% dialled in just yet. They both know FP2 is where it counts – the only representative running until Qualifying itself.
2025 GP of Saudi Arabia Practice 1 Results
| Pos | No | Nat. | Driver | Car | Time | Behind | Laps |
| 1 | 10 | FRA | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:29.239 | +0.000s | 24 |
| 2 | 4 | GBR | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:29.246 | +0.007s | 24 |
| 3 | 16 | MON | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:29.309 | +0.070s | 27 |
| 4 | 81 | AUS | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:29.341 | +0.102s | 24 |
| 5 | 23 | THA | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:29.606 | +0.367s | 22 |
| 6 | 63 | GBR | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:29.618 | +0.379s | 20 |
| 7 | 55 | ESP | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:29.779 | +0.540s | 25 |
| 8 | 44 | GBR | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:29.815 | +0.576s | 26 |
| 9 | 1 | NED | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:29.818 | +0.579s | 25 |
| 10 | 22 | JPN | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:29.821 | +0.582s | 25 |
| 11 | 30 | NZL | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:29.907 | +0.668s | 18 |
| 12 | 27 | GER | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:29.916 | +0.677s | 24 |
| 13 | 12 | ITA | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:29.934 | +0.695s | 23 |
| 14 | 14 | ESP | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:29.976 | +0.737s | 23 |
| 15 | 6 | FRA | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:30.011 | +0.772s | 14 |
| 16 | 7 | AUS | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | 1:30.183 | +0.944s | 24 |
| 17 | 18 | CAN | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:30.583 | +1.344s | 22 |
| 18 | 87 | GBR | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 1:30.595 | +1.356s | 20 |
| 19 | 31 | FRA | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 1:31.029 | +1.790s | 20 |
| 20 | 5 | BRA | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:31.038 | +1.799s | 22 |