Saudi Arabian GP: Max Verstappen tops Fernando Alonso in tight second practice in Jeddah

Max Verstappen topped both practice sessions on Friday in Jeddah; Fernando Alonso split the Red Bulls to finish second under the lights; Lewis Hamilton only 11th for Mercedes; Watch Saudi Arabian GP final practice live on Saturday at 1.30pm on Sky Sports F1

Max Verstappen completed a Friday practice double at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso finished second to provide further evidence of Aston Martin’s remarkable progress.

Having led a Red Bull one-two from Sergio Perez in the opening session, Verstappen, who eased to victory at the season-opener in Bahrain earlier this month, was once more untouchable as he delivered a 1:29.603 to finish 0.2s clear of Alonso.

Perez, who sealed a Red Bull one-two in Bahrain, was a tenth behind Alonso in third at F1’s fastest street circuit, in the night-time conditions that mirror those Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race will take place in.

Alpine delivered an improved display as fourth-placed Esteban Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly were split by Mercedes’ George Russell.

However, Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton endured a far more challenging session as he finished down in 11th, just behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who underwhelmed having been expected to be Verstappen’s biggest challengers in Saudi Arabia.

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Verstappen gets very close to the wall during a flying lap in P2 of the Saudi Arabian GP.

There were suspicions that Ferrari were running their engines significantly below full capacity, as the team experimented after both drivers were forced to take new power units following technical issues in Bahrain.

Lance Stroll backed up Alonso’s performance by taking seventh for Aston Martin, while Nico Hulkenberg produced an impressive display to finish ahead of the Ferraris and Hamilton in ninth.

Having finished last in the opening session, Lando Norris provided McLaren with minor encouragement to take 12th, but their struggles look set to continue with Oscar Piastri down in 19th.

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Oscar Piastri finds the whole track blocked during a flying lap in P2 of the Saudi Arabian GP.

Verstappen defies illness to dominate

Verstappen had posted on social media on Thursday that he was “feeling fine again” after a stomach bug had caused him to delay his flight to Saudi Arabia, and he backed up that claim on Friday.

The Dutchman was the last car on track in the hot day-time conditions, but quickly jumped to the top of the timesheet as he found his rhythm around the challenging street circuit.

The only difference under the lights in the evening was that it was Alonso directly behind him rather than Perez.

Verstappen, who is chasing a third successive world championship, appeared in a league of his own, with his only scare coming as he momentarily lost control in the final corner and almost struck the same wall he ruined a memorable qualifying lap with in 2021.

“I think we had a positive day but there are still things that we can do better,” Verstappen said.

“In the long run, I think we all seemed quite close to each other. It’s all just managing the tyres because they don’t really let you push around here, so with a low deg circuit, I think the lap times are very close so it’s definitely not like Bahrain.”

More to follow…

Formula 1 street racing is back! Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race are live at 5pm. Get Sky Sports