MADRID, 7 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was the fastest in the first free practice session of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, the second round of the World Championship and on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin ), just one tenth away, and with the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) closing the ‘podium’.
With soft rubber, Verstappen led, for the first time this season, a free practice session, the first in Jeddah, by setting a 1:29.659, only 80 thousandths worse than his best time last year in the same race. The Asturian, 186 thousandths behind the champion, showed that the Aston Martin can compete with those in front within one lap while they continue to adjust the ‘set up’ in race simulation.
The first practice sessions in Jeddah started with the news that Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) would force himself to get into the SF-24, after leaving the paddock this Wednesday when he felt unwell. But, despite not being one hundred percent, he performed and worked on his car, completing more than 20 laps and finishing sixth (1:30.164), just over a tenth behind his teammate, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who was fifth (1:30.030).
Like a week ago in Bahrain, this first session, being a night race, is not too representative of what will be seen on Friday and Saturday. Thus, the initial protagonists were the hard and medium tires, with a varied exchange of drivers in the upper zone.
Although from the start it was George Russell and Mercedes who were the most solid and were on top for most of the minutes. Alonso also enjoyed the lead after ten minutes with a 1:30.961, a time that the Briton beat by half a second on that first attempt.
A time that, like in Bahrain, was difficult for him to overtake a hidden Verstappen, who complained about some settings at the start, something already common in Free Practice 1 for the Dutchman. The track started out very dirty, but the times improved as the minutes passed, with the first six drivers in just four tenths.
Sainz warned with the first very subtle touch of the wall, although it was the Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) who touched the wall in the first sector. The hubcap of his left front wheel was thrown off, requiring the small damage in the box to be fixed, although without major complications.
The British Lando Norris (McLaren) debuted the soft tire in the second part of the session with a 1:30.424, but with that compound Russell also started the leader. Until Verstappen got into tune and set a 1:29.659 in the final stretch, almost three tenths better than the time of the ‘silver arrows’.
Alonso also rode soft tires and slipped between the two Red Bulls, one tenth behind ‘Mad Max’, after Pérez also moved up, finally finishing third. He got between them, 209 thousandths behind his teammate. Mercedes left very good feelings, with hardly any degradation, with Russell fourth and Hamilton eighth.
The ‘top 10’ was barely separated by a single second, with Norris seventh, and Stroll and Alex Albon (Williams) closing out those top ten positions. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) finished fifteenth, while the Alpines continue their ordeal.
2024-03-07 14:57:11
#Alonso #sneaks #Red #Bulls #convalescent #Sainz #performs #Jeddah #free #practice
