Good return from Fernando Alonso to open the World Cup, with the favorites playing at random. Not a single one of the favorites wanted to ride the soft tire with which Friday's qualifying session will be resolved.
Max Verstappen marked the territory of the C3 compound, with a notable advantage over Sergio Pérez, Ferrari and Mercedes. Daniel Ricciardo led the final time table, led by Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda. McLaren decided to capture its share of the screen, using the hard tire before anyone else.