Alpine’s Pierre Gasly surprised everyone during the opening practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Friday. The French driver secured his team’s first points last weekend in Bahrain. He topped the timesheets with a stellar lap of 1:29.239. This time edged out McLaren’s championship leader Lando Norris by just seven thousandths of a second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed closely in third place.
McLaren Duo Sets the Pace
Oscar Piastri also impressed, finishing fourth and trailing Norris by only three points in the drivers’ standings. He clinched his second win of the season just last Sunday. Williams’ Alex Albon rounded out the top five, with less than half a second separating the five fastest drivers. The McLaren duo signaled their intent for the weekend, with George Russell joining the leaders early in the session. Russell became the first driver to post a sub-1:30 lap.
Carlos Sainz expressed satisfaction with his Williams’ performance, a stark contrast to last year when appendicitis sidelined him. He momentarily secured second place behind Russell, showcasing strong speed. Meanwhile, Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda currently sit in third and fourth. They aim to improve after lacking pace in Bahrain.
Oliver Bearman, a rookie with Haas, dealt with a challenging moment by clipping the wall. He recalled his emotional debut at this track last year, where he replaced Sainz and finished seventh. “I don’t know what happened,” Bearman stated after his incident. Piastri also requested checks on his car after brushing against a barrier.
Conditions Affecting Performance
As the session progressed, Gasly regained the top spot with a remarkable flyer from his Alpine. Sainz had a startling encounter with a Ferrari while on a fast lap, remarking on the team radio, “The Ferrari was so dangerous.” Despite the sunny conditions, these lap times may not reflect qualifying and race conditions, which occur after sunset under cooler temperatures.
At the session’s end, Russell fell to sixth, while Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari finished eighth. Verstappen placed ninth, and Tsunoda completed the top ten. Fans eagerly await the second practice later on Friday, followed by the final practice on Saturday. Qualifying for this fifth round of the thrilling 24-race season is just around the corner.
