Verstappen sets early marker as Alonso stars, Hamilton tumbles in Qatar sprint qualifying SQ1
Under Lusail’s floodlights the first cut was brutal. Max Verstappen opened Qatar’s sprint qualifying with a 1:21.172 to top SQ1, but the headline grabber was just how many heavy hitters ended up on the wrong side of the line. Fernando Alonso hustled the Aston Martin to within a tenth, Oscar Piastri shadowed in the McLaren, and then it got spicy.
Nico Hulkenberg punched Sauber into fourth, splitting the orange cars as Lando Norris settled for fifth. Isack Hadjar looked completely at ease in the Racing Bulls, sixth-fastest and comfortably through on his Qatar debut. George Russell kept Mercedes in the mix in P7, Carlos Sainz muscled the Williams into eighth, Yuki Tsunoda backed up the Red Bull effort in ninth, and Oliver Bearman was clinical for Haas to advance in tenth.
And then came the roll call of surprises. Andrea Kimi Antonelli missed the cut in P11, joined by Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in P12. Charles Leclerc could only manage 13th for Ferrari, Alexander Albon 14th for Williams, and Esteban Ocon 15th for Haas. Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin slumped to 16th, while Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) was 17th.
The shock? Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time champion’s Ferrari never looked settled in traffic and he was out in 18th, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto 19th and 20th as the French team endured a miserable opening phase.
It was classic Lusail: fast, flowing, and unforgiving if you missed the rhythm. Grip ramped up quickly, the timing screens yo-yoed with every run, and traffic management mattered as much as outright speed. Verstappen’s banker was clean and decisive. Alonso looked locked-in from the first push. McLaren showed pace in hand, and the midfield chaos was… well, chaos.
SQ1 classification – 2025 Qatar GP (sprint qualifying)
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull — 1:21.172
2. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin — +0.104
3. Oscar Piastri, McLaren — +0.114
4. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber — +0.155
5. Lando Norris, McLaren — +0.226
6. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls — +0.227
7. George Russell, Mercedes — +0.260
8. Carlos Sainz, Williams — +0.266
9. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull — +0.286
10. Oliver Bearman, Haas — +0.354
11. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — +0.383
12. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber — +0.451
13. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.464
14. Alexander Albon, Williams — +0.549
15. Esteban Ocon, Haas — +0.601
16. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin — +0.635
17. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls — +0.679
18. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.871
19. Pierre Gasly, Alpine — +0.940
20. Franco Colapinto, Alpine — +1.192
What to watch from here
– Red Bull vs McLaren vs Alonso: Verstappen looks ominous, but McLaren typically grows into the night sessions and Alonso’s confidence is obvious.
– Wildcards everywhere: Hulkenberg’s Sauber and Hadjar’s Racing Bulls both look hooked up in the medium-speed stuff. If they clear SQ2 cleanly, they could be the spoilers in SQ3.
– Ferrari recovery mode: With Hamilton and Leclerc both out, Ferrari’s sprint prospects take a hit. That changes tyre offsets for Saturday, but it’s a long night for the red garage.
– Mercedes split fortunes: Russell’s through, Antonelli’s not. Expect setup divergence from here.
We’ll update this page with SQ2 and SQ3 as they happen. Stay tuned.
