Just a week following the Bahrain spectacle, F1 moves to Jeddah, targeting hierarchy insights amid significant team updates.
Red Bull brings a revised rear part to reduce cooling and lower downforce on this fast track. Mercedes F1 only introduces an evolution in the rear wheel fins to adjust downforce on this part of the car.
Ferrari, like Red Bull, focuses its updates on the rear wing to reduce downforce, as does McLaren. RB F1 brings modified front and rear wings, along with a revised engine cover to adapt to the cooling needed in Jeddah.
Williams F1 introduces an updated beam wing, the lower part of the rear wing. Aston Martin also brings a downforce-adapted rear wing and revised front brake ducts. Alpine, Haas, and Stake bring no new updates for this race.
Carlos Sainz was absent yesterday due to illness, but the Spaniard returned to the paddock this Friday and participated in FP1. The question remains how close to peak condition the Ferrari driver is.
Lap times evolved throughout the session as many drivers initially took to the track on hard tires during these FP1. Times dropped when the medium tires were used, but it was obviously on softs that the serious work began.
However, the sun had not yet set, so conditions were not representative of what qualifications and the race will be, since the weekend’s main sessions obviously take place at night.
Lando Norris was the first to set a fast lap on soft tires, with a time of 1’30″424. Max Verstappen then surpassed it with 1’30″014, before George Russell beat him by three thousandths of a second, with 1’30″011.
Verstappen complained of “strange engine behavior in turn 13,” not understanding what was happening. This did not stop the Dutchman from improving his previous time. The Red Bull driver made a strong impression with 1’29″659, while Russell returned to the track.
The Briton improved his time and came within 0″280 of Verstappen, while Sainz then Charles Leclerc placed third. Sergio Pérez was also on the move, securing second place with the third fastest sector overall.
Fernando Alonso was the only one who had only run on hard tires until 15 minutes before the session’s end, and the Spaniard went out on softs, securing second place, 0″186 off Verstappen.
The standings remained unchanged, so Verstappen finishes on top ahead of Alonso, Pérez, Russell, and Leclerc. Nine drivers are within a second, while the Alpine drivers seem a bit better than last week. For now, Haas appears to be lagging behind.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:29.659 | 24 |
| 02 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:29.845 | 24 |
| 03 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:29.868 | 23 |
| 04 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:29.939 | 23 |
| 05 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:30.030 | 24 |
| 06 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:30.164 | 24 |
| 07 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:30.231 | 26 |
| 08 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:30.236 | 21 |
| 09 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:30.580 | 18 |
| 10 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:30.747 | 26 |
| 11 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:30.783 | 26 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:30.917 | 25 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:30.945 | 27 |
| 14 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:30.966 | 27 |
| 15 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:30.977 | 22 |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:31.036 | 25 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:31.046 | 25 |
| 18 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:31.131 | 24 |
| 19 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:31.411 | 19 |
| 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:31.577 | 18 |
Saudi Arabia practice 1 2024. Saudi Arabia practice 1 2024
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