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QATAR GP: LÓPEZ FINISHES P11 AND SECURES A SPOT IN Q2, WHILE VIETTI ENDS THE DAY IN P26 

The first day of the Qatar Grand Prix has just come to an end.
Alonso López finished in P11, securing direct access to tomorrow’s Q2, while Celestino Vietti, who faced more difficulties, will have to go through Q1 after ending the day in P26. 

The FP1 took place under a scorching sun, with track temperatures reaching 60°C. Alonso encountered some issues on his Boscoscuro bike, making two pit stops to adjust the setup and change tires. He ended the session in 21st place with a time of 1’59.335.

In the afternoon, thanks to the adjustments made, the number 21 significantly improved his performance, clocking a 1’57.655 and setting the 11th fastest time, enough to secure a spot in Q2. However, a contact with Sasaki in Turn 5 earned him a penalty from Race Direction: during Sunday’s race, he will have to serve a Long Lap Penalty.

It was a tough day for Celestino, who struggled to find the right feeling with the bike. In FP1, he finished behind his teammate with a time of 1’59.385, and in the afternoon Practice session, he couldn’t make the hoped-for step forward, ending in 26th position with a time of 1’58.549. For him, tomorrow’s challenge will be Q1, where he’ll look to bounce back and fight for a place in Q2.

ALONSO LÓPEZ #21: 11th in 1’57.655

“It was a tough day, especially this morning: I couldn’t find the right feeling with the bike and we had to make several setup changes. In the afternoon, though, we made a good step forward and I’m happy to have secured a spot directly in Q2. It’s a shame about the incident with Sasaki, it wasn’t my intention to make an aggressive move, but I respect the decision of Race Direction. Now we’ll focus on tomorrow to prepare as best as we can for qualifying”.

CELESTINO VIETTI #13: 18th in 1’58.549

“It was definitely a tough day, unfortunately. I couldn’t find consistency, especially in the second session. I made several mistakes and wasn’t able to work well on race pace or fully understand what I needed. However, the feeling on the bike isn’t bad, so we’ll try to look at the positives. Tomorrow, it will be important to do a good job in FP2 to secure a solid qualifying and make it from Q1 to Q2 as smoothly as possible. We’ll give it our all to improve”.