Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace throughout first practice at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix. Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were next up for most of the session until Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly took second place late on. The first session is not likely to be representative of true performance – partly because it was the drivers’ and teams’ first experience of the track, but also because this is a night race, with qualifying and grand prix taking place after dark. Track temperatures will be much lower once the sun goes down than during the first session, which took place at mid-afternoon in Qatar.

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