The first night practice session of the weekend for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in F1 kicked off with a ten-minute delay as race officials inspected a drain cover that was causing some concern.
Drivers took to the track on medium tires, with several of them taking turns leading the pack. Fernando Alonso set the initial benchmark with a time of 1’29″560, only to be surpassed minutes later by Max Verstappen with a 1’29″543.
Russell voiced concerns over the car being “very unstable at high speed”. The session witnessed several on-track incidents. Guanyu Zhou was impeded by Carlos Sainz in the final corner, while Logan Sargeant was forced into a dangerous avoidance maneuver as Lewis Hamilton slowed down in the middle of the track.
Oscar Piastri improved his first sector and set a new second sector record, still on medium tires, but the McLaren F1 driver aborted his run and returned to the pits.
Alonso improved to 1’28″827 on soft tires, as all drivers switched to their most performance-oriented tires. Charles Leclerc secured second place, Lance Stroll third, and Max Verstappen fourth. Sergio Pérez then slotted into third between Leclerc and Stroll.
Lando Norris complained of excessive rear squat and returned to the pits after setting the eighth fastest provisional time, just behind Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen moved up to second, and Russell to fourth.
Pierre Gasly brought some optimism to Alpine by moving up to seventh. Hamilton finally set a quick time on soft tires 26 minutes before the end of the session, taking seventh place.
The session ended on a productive note, with Alonso finishing the day on top, his time two-tenths ahead mostly gained in the first sector. This was six-tenths slower than last year’s pole position.
Russell thus secured second place, followed by Verstappen, Leclerc, Pérez, and Stroll, then Sainz. Hamilton was eighth, ahead of a reassuring Gasly, then Piastri, Tsunoda, and Norris. Zhou and Albon followed, with the Thai driver less than a second behind in 14th place. Ocon and Sargeant, followed by the Haas cars, Ricciardo, and Bottas completed the standings.
Free Practice Results (2) 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:28.827 | 28 |
| 02 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:29.057 | 24 |
| 03 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:29.158 | 27 |
| 04 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:29.180 | 25 |
| 05 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:29.300 | 27 |
| 06 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:29.336 | 27 |
| 07 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:29.455 | 26 |
| 08 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:29.504 | 22 |
| 09 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:29.528 | 29 |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:29.594 | 27 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:29.666 | 28 |
| 12 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:29.758 | 23 |
| 13 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:29.777 | 27 |
| 14 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:29.789 | 28 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:29.901 | 27 |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:29.934 | 27 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:29.985 | 24 |
| 18 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:30.077 | 26 |
| 19 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:30.088 | 29 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:30.153 | 27 |
2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP – Free Practice 2 Results. 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP – Free Practice 2 Results
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