Piastri Leads Qatar Practice; Norris Second, Verstappen Sixth

Oscar Piastri edged team-mate Lando Norris to top the only practice session for the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail, while reigning champion Max Verstappen could manage only sixth. Piastri set the fastest time five days after McLaren's disqualification in Las Vegas, giving the team a 1-2 start to the Sprint weekend ahead of Sprint Qualifying later on Friday. He beat Norris by 0.058 seconds.

Norris heads the Drivers' Championship with a 24-point advantage over both Piastri and Verstappen with two rounds remaining; he can secure the title on Sunday if his lead reaches at least 26 points. Verstappen said he was unhappy with his Red Bull's drivability during the hour-long session, reporting the car was 'jumping' under gear changes and will aim to find improvements across the weekend. He is the Qatar race winner from last year.

Sky Sports F1's Bernie Collins noted that Red Bull have work to do, adding that Verstappen's shifting complaints in P1 usually prompt a quick response from the team. McLaren looked strongest on the soft tyres but struggled for pace on the hard compound. Norris had the early best lap by 0.369s, but Piastri improved on his second push lap to take top spot. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was third.

Carlos Sainz put a Williams fourth, while Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar was fifth; Hadjar is expected to be confirmed as Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate in 2026. Verstappen ended the session sixth.

Ferrari had a difficult run: Charles Leclerc was eighth and Lewis Hamilton 12th, while Mercedes looked off the pace with Kimi Antonelli 10th and George Russell 14th.

Friday November 28

• 4.05pm: F2 Qualifying
• 4.50pm: Qatar GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 5.30pm)

Saturday November 29

• 1pm: Sprint build-up
• 2pm: QATAR GP SPRINT
• 3.30pm: Ted's Sprint Notebook
• 4.15pm: F2 Sprint
• 5.15pm: Qualifying build-up
• 6pm: QATAR GP QUALIFYING
• 8pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook

Sunday November 30

• 11.55am: F2 Feature
• 2.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday build-up
• 4pm: THE QATAR GRAND PRIX
• 6pm: Chequered Flag: Qatar GP reaction
• 7pm: Ted's Notebook

The season-ending triple header continues with the Qatar Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1.