Must-win weekend? Check. Title rival breathing down your neck? Check. Ability to actually find pace when it matters? We’re about to find out.
Oscar Piastri just delivered a timely reminder to Lando Norris that this championship isn’t getting wrapped up with a bow quite yet. The Australian edged his McLaren teammate by a mere 0.058 seconds in Qatar’s only practice session, setting the tone for what promises to be a deliciously uncomfortable weekend in the desert.
Where Did Lando Lose 1.6 Seconds? Asking for a Friend
The comedy gold started early. While George Russell was busy leading proceedings on the hard tyres, Norris found himself languishing outside the top ten, scratching his head and radioing his engineer with the immortal question every struggling driver asks.
“Where do I find 1.6 seconds?” – Lando Norris
Brilliant. Imagine being 24 points clear in the championship and genuinely having no idea where over a second and a half has wandered off to. His race engineer Will Joseph presumably resisted the urge to respond with “the same place you left your Las Vegas points” and instead offered some actual corner-specific advice.
To be fair, McLaren looked properly lost on the hard Pirellis. Both papaya cars were floundering while Russell topped the timesheets and everyone wondered if Mercedes had accidentally bolted on their 2020 car by mistake.
Soft Tyres: The Great McLaren Awakening
Then came the soft compound. Suddenly, the MCL39 transformed from confused puppy to apex predator.
Norris found his mojo and banged in a 1:20.982. Problem solved, championship wrapped up, time for celebration, right? Not quite. Piastri, displaying the kind of timing that would make a Swiss watchmaker weep, promptly went faster with a 1:20.924 on his second flying lap.
That’s the sound of psychological warfare being conducted at 200 miles per hour. Norris had a chance to respond but aborted his final attempt. Whether that was traffic, tyres, or sudden onset nerves is anyone’s guess.
Meanwhile, in the Complaint Department
Max Verstappen spent the session providing running commentary on everything wrong with his Red Bull. The steering felt weird. The car was jumping. There was no pace. At one point he spotted Pierre Gasly and wondered aloud about blind idiots.
“Oh my God, who’s this blind idiot?” – Max Verstappen
Classic Max. Still 24 points behind but maintaining the rage.
Charles Leclerc joined the moaning chorus, telling Ferrari he couldn’t feel anything with the power steering before demonstrating the point by launching himself off circuit at Turn 4. Russell, not to be outdone in the weird complaints category, reported his cockpit was hot before later announcing he was “smelling a lot of wood.” No further questions, George.
The Fernando Alonso Renaissance Continues
Lost in the McLaren psychodrama was Fernando Alonso quietly slotting into third, just 0.386 seconds off the pace. Aston Martin showing actual pace? What timeline is this?
Carlos Sainz grabbed fourth for Williams, Isack Hadjar impressed in fifth, and Verstappen eventually settled for sixth after his final run produced precisely nothing.
The Championship Math Nobody Asked For
Norris needs to outscore Piastri and Verstappen by two points this weekend to seal the title. Simple, right? Except he’s just been outpaced by the bloke he needs to beat and spent half the session genuinely baffled about where his lap time went.
Sprint qualifying happens next, then a Sprint race, then proper qualifying, then the actual Grand Prix. Four separate opportunities for this championship to implode spectacularly. Piastri just fired the first shot.
Is Norris feeling the pressure? Or did McLaren just have a weird practice session on the hard tyres before remembering they’ve got the fastest car? We’ll find out soon enough. Pass the popcorn.
