On the soft compound tyres, Leclerc, who didn't break cover until halfway through the session, set a time of 1m 30.772s in the closing stages.
Follow Us
In first practise for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc continued where he left off in Bahrain, setting the fastest time. On the soft compound tyres, Leclerc, who didn’t break cover until halfway through the session, set a time of 1m 30.772s in the closing stages. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was second fastest, despite failing to score in Bahrain due to a fuel pressure issue that affected both Red Bull drivers. Valtteri Bottas was a strong third for Alfa Romeo, ahead of Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari. The top four were separated by just over three tenths of a second.
Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri finished fifth and sixth, respectively, ahead of Sergio Perez of Red Bull in seventh. Lewis Hamilton, who hit the wall late in the session on the approach to Turn 1, was the best-placed Mercedes-powered car in ninth, 1.6s off the pace, with Esteban Ocon leading the Alpine in eighth.
Fernando Alonso completed the top ten after his Alpine team changed his internal combustion engine as a precaution after discovering a suspected sealing issue. McLaren showed more promise after a disappointing performance in Bahrain, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing 11th and Lando Norris finishing 13th, sandwiching Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
Read More – Red Bull news: Team spokesperson reportedly reveals reason for Bahrain GP disaster
Norris had hit a loose-hanging brake marker board at Turn 1 earlier in the session, scattering a significant amount of debris across the track and necessitating a red flag to allow for clean-up. In the final few minutes, rookie Zhou Guanyu pipped George Russell for 14th, with Nico Hulkenberg, in for Sebastian Vettel, who is still testing positive for Covid-19, 16th.
Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi of Williams were 17th and 18th, respectively, ahead of Mick Schumacher in 19th. Kevin Magnussen’s other Haas was unable to set a time due to a hydraulic issue.
