Pierre Gasly Stuns Field in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix FP1 as Hamilton and Verstappen Struggle
The opening practice session of the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix delivered a surprising twist as Pierre Gasly topped the timesheets for Alpine, leaving many of the sport’s biggest names—Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton included—trailing in his wake. The Frenchman managed to clock the fastest time of the session on soft tyres, sending a strong early message ahead of the weekend’s main events.
Gasly’s lap of 1:29.239 shocked the paddock and fans alike, especially considering Alpine’s generally mid-field performance in recent seasons. His pace was enough to edge out McLaren’s Lando Norris by a razor-thin margin of just 0.007 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed closely, clocking a time only 0.070 seconds off the leader. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri also showed strong pace, finishing fourth and less than two-tenths behind Gasly.
The top five was rounded out by Alex Albon in the Williams, a performance that once again highlighted the team’s gradual rise in competitiveness. Mercedes’ George Russell took sixth place, while his former teammate Carlos Sainz, now also at Williams, slotted into seventh.
However, it was a difficult start to the race weekend for two of Formula 1’s most accomplished drivers. Lewis Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, was only able to manage eighth, nearly six-tenths off the pace. Red Bull’s reigning world champion Max Verstappen fared even worse, finishing ninth, a mere three-thousandths of a second behind Hamilton. Yuki Tsunoda completed the top ten in the second Red Bull car.
While Gasly’s unexpected performance turned heads, the session wasn’t without its incidents. Haas rookie Ollie Bearman had a heart-stopping moment at Turn 1 when he locked up under braking and lightly grazed the barrier. Fortunately, he avoided major damage and safely rejoined via the run-off area. The team later confirmed he sustained front wing damage and returned to the garage for repairs.
Another moment of drama came in the form of a procedural violation involving Liam Lawson. The former Red Bull junior, now driving for Racing Bulls, was placed under investigation for allegedly failing to comply with the race director’s instructions. The specifics of the infraction remain unclear and will be reviewed after FP1.
Further down the order, Nico Hulkenberg of Kick Sauber came in 12th, narrowly ahead of Mercedes’ young talent Kimi Antonelli. Fernando Alonso managed only 14th for Aston Martin, followed by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar. Jack Doohan, filling the second seat at Alpine, ended up 16th.
The bottom four drivers were significantly off the leading pace. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was 17th, ahead of Ollie Bearman and his Haas teammate Esteban Ocon. Bringing up the rear was Kick Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, nearly 1.8 seconds adrift of Gasly’s benchmark time.
Despite the excitement, it’s important to note that FP1 is not the most representative session of the weekend due to its scheduling in daylight. Jeddah’s night-time sessions, such as FP2, qualifying, and the race itself, take place under floodlights and offer more relevant conditions in terms of track temperature and grip. FP2, scheduled for 8:00 PM local time, will provide a much clearer picture of how the teams and drivers are likely to perform when it matters most.
This session’s results nonetheless raise intriguing questions. Can Gasly and Alpine sustain this form under the lights? Will McLaren continue to threaten at the front with both Norris and Piastri showing consistent pace? And perhaps most critically—can championship contenders Hamilton and Verstappen bounce back after their underwhelming starts?
Verstappen, despite finishing ninth in FP1, remains the man to beat in the 2025 season. The Dutchman is the current reigning world champion, having secured his fourth drivers’ title last year. While a single practice session is far from conclusive, his lower-than-expected position will undoubtedly draw attention, especially if the trend continues into FP2 and beyond.
The unexpected pecking order from FP1 has already injected excitement into the weekend. With so many storylines unfolding and an unpredictable leaderboard, fans can look forward to what promises to be a thrilling Saudi Arabian Grand Prix under the lights of Jeddah.
