Max Verstappen laid down the first serious benchmark under the bright Lusail lights, clocking a 1:21.172 to lead the opening phase of Qatar’s sprint qualifying. Yet the real story was how many big names found themselves on the wrong end of the cut. Fernando Alonso produced a superb lap to get within a tenth of Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri close behind for McLaren as the early order took shape.
Further down, Nico Hülkenberg stunned by putting his Sauber fourth, splitting the McLarens while Lando Norris took fifth. Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed on his Qatar debut with a calm, confident run into sixth for Racing Bulls. George Russell kept Mercedes involved in seventh, Carlos Sainz pushed Williams into eighth, Yuki Tsunoda secured ninth for Red Bull, and Oliver Bearman completed the SQ1 survivors in tenth for Haas.
The elimination list raised eyebrows. Andrea Kimi Antonelli missed out in 11th, followed by Sauber newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto in 12th. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ended up only 13th, Williams’ Alexander Albon 14th, and Esteban Ocon 15th for Haas. Lance Stroll slipped to 16th for Aston Martin, while Liam Lawson could do no better than 17th for Racing Bulls.
But the major shock came from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion struggled badly with traffic and balance, bowing out in a disappointing 18th place. Behind him, Alpine’s tough session continued as Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto rounded out the order in 19th and 20th.
Lusail once again proved ruthless—fast, smooth, and punishing to anyone who missed the rhythm. With grip rising quickly and cars constantly tripping over each other, pure speed wasn’t enough. Verstappen’s opening effort was clean and commanding, Alonso looked sharp from the start, McLaren had more to show, and the midfield delivered its usual dose of unpredictability.
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