Fernando Alonso fastest in FP2 of F1 Saudi Arabian GP from George Russell, with Max Verstappen rounding the Top 3.
Following a 10-minute delay to the start of the session, the lights went green for FP2 in conditions more representative of those we’ll see in Saturday night’s race, after FP1 took place in hotter and more humid temperatures. Most cars were quick to hit the track under the floodlights in a busy start to the hour, but it wasn’t an entirely smooth start for some, with Valtteri Bottas suffering an early spin after locking up into Turn 1.
Elsewhere, the stewards confirmed that they will investigate a potential impeding incident between Lewis Hamilton and Logan Sargeant after the session, with the Williams having to take avoiding action after encountering the slow-moving Mercedes. As the qualifying runs on the soft tyre came in, it was Alonso who set the pace on a 1m 28.827s. This time remained on top as drivers switched to long runs during the latter half of the session, with the Spaniard’s lap putting him 0.230s ahead of Russell.
Verstappen – who had earlier set the pace in FP1 – slotted into third, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez in fourth and fifth respectively. Lance Stroll added to Aston Martin’s productive session in sixth, though was issued with a black and white flag for a track limits infringement later on. Carlos Sainz, Hamilton – who reported having no power in the final minutes – Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10.
Yuki Tsunoda ended the hour as the lead RB in 11th, followed by the McLaren of Lando Norris in 12th. Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu put himself into 13th place, just one hundredth of a second in front of Alex Albon in 14th.
Esteban Ocon claimed P15, with Sargeant in P16, while the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg were in 17th and 18th respectively. Daniel Ricciardo ended the day down in P19, with Bottas bringing up the rear in P20.
Here’s how FP1 if F1 Saudi Arabian GP panned out
[Note: The story is as per press release]
