Charles Leclerc secured the fastest time in Qatar Grand Prix practice, outpacing McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.435 seconds during the sole practice session at sunset in Lusail.

Ferrari's unique strategy of using hard tires early in the session paid off, with both Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz showing strong pace. When switching to soft tires in the final 10 minutes, Leclerc dominated with two impressive flying laps, particularly excelling in the final sector.

Norris claimed the fastest first sector but lost significant time throughout the rest of the lap, finishing second ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, who was just 0.047s behind despite a minor off-track excursion at Turn 6. Sainz rounded out the top four, 0.582s behind his teammate Leclerc.

Top 10 Practice Results:

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.435s
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.482s
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.582s
5. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +1.092s
6. Valtteri Bottas (Stake Sauber)
7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
8. George Russell (Mercedes)
9. Alex Albon (Williams)
10. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Notably, Max Verstappen finished just outside the top 10, while his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez struggled significantly, ending up 18th and 2.086s off the pace. McLaren currently leads Ferrari by 24 points in the constructors' championship, making this practice session's results particularly significant for both teams.

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