Max Verstappen led the way in FP1 of F1 Saudi Arabian GP ahead of Fernando Alonso, with Sergio Perez rounding the Top 3.
It was a close in FP1 of F1 Saudi Arabian GP where Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace with a 1m29.659s lap despite some complaints over the course of the session. He led a Red Bull 1-2 for sometime before Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso’s improvement.
He slotted in second to push Sergio Perez to third in a close fight. After they improved on their time, Mercedes’ George Russell dropped to fourth after looking good early on, with the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in fifth and sixth.
Leclerc had a bit of plastic scare after he ran over one and had one stuck on his suspension but fortunately, he did not face any troubles. The Monegasque did come in the way of Williams’ Logan Sargeant, but it wasn’t looked at considering the track layout.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was seventh from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll slotting in ninth despite his wall touch. He was forced with some repairs but the team managed to fix it up and send him out for a longer run.
Williams’ Alexander Albon rounded out the Top 10, with Stake F1 Team’s Valtteri Bottas in 11th from Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, who set his best lap on the medium tyre. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was 13th from Williams Sargeant and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
The Australian couldn’t improve on his fast lap to be only 15th, with Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in 16th after setting his best lap on the medium compound as well. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was 17th from Stake F1 Team’s Zhou Guanyu.
The 20 runners was rounded out by Haas pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen in 19th and 20th, with both of them setting their best time on the medium tyre.
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