McLaren
McLaren struggled early on the hard tyre in FP1 but came alive on softs. Piastri produced the decisive lap to take Sprint pole, while Norris was unfortunate — a mistake on his first flying lap and a second lap ruined by running too close to Albon cost him. Oscar Piastri (P1) 1:20.055 said he felt the car was strong all session and was pleased to put everything together. Lando Norris (P3) 1:20.285 called the session frustrating but believes the pace is there for a fight in the Sprint. Team Principal Andrea Stella noted a positive start to the weekend and said there are still improvements to find ahead of tomorrow.
Mercedes
Mercedes showed promising long-run pace on hards in FP1; their soft-run was interrupted and they needed double warm-up laps on mediums. George Russell (P2) 1:20.087 produced strong laps to split the McLarens and was happy with P2, warning that overtaking could make the Sprint decisive from the first corner. Kimi Antonelli (P7) 1:20.532 said he still needs to adapt, admitting errors in SQ2 cost him confidence for SQ3. Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin highlighted the challenge of finding the right window on different compounds and said Mercedes are competitive across most of the lap despite McLaren’s high-speed advantage.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso had a very strong day, beating both Red Bulls to P4 and keeping Aston Martin in the fight for seventh in the constructors’ standings. Alonso (P4) 1:20.450 described it as one of their better qualifying efforts with the car feeling in the window all day. Lance Stroll (P16) 1:21.807 could not match Alonso’s pace and was eliminated in SQ1; he acknowledged it will be a tricky Sprint starting so far back.
Red Bull
Red Bull struggled with balance issues. Max Verstappen (P6) 1:20.528 reported heavy bouncing, inconsistent steering and tyre behaviour; changes made before Sprint Qualifying failed to cure the problems and an aborted SQ3 run left him sixth. Yuki Tsunoda (P5) 1:20.519 edged his team mate by 0.009s and described a clean weekend so far while noting there is still work to find extra tenths. Principal Strategy Engineer Hannah Schmitz said FP1 provided useful data but Sprint Qualifying was disappointing; with another shot at Qualifying tomorrow they hope to recover.
Williams
Williams outperformed expectations at a circuit they feared would suit them poorly, getting both cars into SQ3. Carlos Sainz (P8) 1:20.542 called it a very positive day and credited an experimental set-up. Alex Albon (P10) 1:20.788 said the team scrambled late in SQ3 but have a decent car for the Sprint and qualifying.
Ferrari
Ferrari looked off the pace across the session. Charles Leclerc (P9) 1:20.622 felt they had potential for the top five but was held up by a slower car ahead on his final lap. Lewis Hamilton (P18) 1:22.043 was eliminated in SQ1 after setup experiments failed to pay off; he said the team will dig into the data and come back stronger.
Racing Bulls
Isack Hadjar showed competitive speed but lost his SQ2 lap to track limits and was eliminated in P11 (1:21.433). He called it a frustrating session and expects tomorrow might be a DRS train that makes gaining places difficult. Liam Lawson (P17) 1:21.851 damaged his floor in FP1 and struggled with balance, exiting in SQ1. Chief Race Engineer Mattia Spini said FP1 revealed higher grip than expected and that they will work to maximise opportunities in the Sprint.
Haas
Haas were behind Aston Martin; Oliver Bearman led the team in P12 (1:21.494). Bearman felt the car was quicker than the result suggested, citing traffic and debris on his final lap. Esteban Ocon (P15) 1:21.666 described a difficult session with instability and understeer, saying improvements were made but more work is needed. Team Principal Ayao Komatsu said small margins decided SQ2 and that the team learned enough to set up more competitively for Sunday.
Kick Sauber
Kick Sauber ran with the knowledge that Gabriel Bortoleto carries a grid penalty to be applied on Sunday, which eased strategy decisions today. Both cars were quick in SQ1 but faded in SQ2; Bortoleto (P13) 1:21.567 said missing SQ3 by around a tenth and a half was frustrating, while Nico Hulkenberg (P14) 1:21.631 lamented running wide at the final corner on a lap that might have made SQ3. Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley pointed to clear areas for improvement after optimistic early progress.
Alpine
Alpine endured a tough day and will start both cars at the back of the grid. Pierre Gasly (P19) 1:22.112 said he struggled with cold tyres on a final SQ1 lap and that the result was disappointing. Franco Colapinto (P20) 1:22.364 noted competitiveness in FP1 on hards but that a big snap on softs and floor damage in practice compromised their preparation.
Pirelli
Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer, reported that track conditions were better than last year with higher grip and lap times quicker than simulation. Teams followed a hard-then-soft routine in FP1, and Pirelli observed a soft-to-medium gap of roughly six to seven tenths. Tire tread cuts from gravel dragged onto the circuit were seen but did not lead to pressure loss; tyre condition will be monitored tomorrow.