Max Verstappen topped both practice sessions on Friday in Jeddah; Fernando Alonso split the Red Bulls to finish second under the lights; Lewis Hamilton only 11th for Mercedes; Watch Saudi Arabian GP final practice live on Saturday at 1.30pm on Sky Sports F1
Friday 17 March 2023 19:23, UK
Max Verstappen completed a Friday practice double at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso finished second to provide further evidence of Aston Martin's remarkable progress.
Having led a Red Bull one-two from Sergio Perez in the opening session, Verstappen, who eased to victory at the season-opener in Bahrain earlier this month, was once more untouchable as he delivered a 1:29.603 to finish 0.2s clear of Alonso.
Perez, who sealed a Red Bull one-two in Bahrain, was a tenth behind Alonso in third at F1's fastest street circuit, in the night-time conditions that mirror those Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race will take place in.
Alpine delivered an improved display as fourth-placed Esteban Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly were split by Mercedes' George Russell.
However, Russell's team-mate Lewis Hamilton endured a far more challenging session as he finished down in 11th, just behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who underwhelmed having been expected to be Verstappen's biggest challengers in Saudi Arabia.
There were suspicions that Ferrari were running their engines significantly below full capacity, as the team experimented after both drivers were forced to take new power units following technical issues in Bahrain.
Lance Stroll backed up Alonso's performance by taking seventh for Aston Martin, while Nico Hulkenberg produced an impressive display to finish ahead of the Ferraris and Hamilton in ninth.
Having finished last in the opening session, Lando Norris provided McLaren with minor encouragement to take 12th, but their struggles look set to continue with Oscar Piastri down in 19th.
Verstappen had posted on social media on Thursday that he was "feeling fine again" after a stomach bug had caused him to delay his flight to Saudi Arabia, and he backed up that claim on Friday.
The Dutchman was the last car on track in the hot day-time conditions, but quickly jumped to the top of the timesheet as he found his rhythm around the challenging street circuit.
The only difference under the lights in the evening was that it was Alonso directly behind him rather than Perez.
Verstappen, who is chasing a third successive world championship, appeared in a league of his own, with his only scare coming as he momentarily lost control in the final corner and almost struck the same wall he ruined a memorable qualifying lap with in 2021.
"I think we had a positive day but there are still things that we can do better," Verstappen said.
"In the long run, I think we all seemed quite close to each other. It's all just managing the tyres because they don't really let you push around here, so with a low-deg circuit, I think the lap times are very close so it's definitely not like Bahrain."
Alonso continued Aston Martin's resurgence after taking a surprise podium in Bahrain, with his decision to join the team that finished seventh in last season's constructors' championship continuing to pay dividends.
The 41-year-old Spaniard played down the pace he showed on Friday, but admitted it had been "another good start".
"Let's see," Alonso said. "Friday is not always representative.
"Bahrain, we were okay - P1 on Friday and we were P5, P6 in qualifying so you never know until we get to qualifying but we tested what we wanted to test. I still don't think it's an ideal balance so we still need to chase a little bit of grip, but so far, so good, another good start."
Mercedes' failure to overcome their 2022 struggles was perhaps the biggest talking point to emerge from the season-opener in Bahrain, especially given the unusually negative comments that came from Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff in the aftermath.
Friday's running provided further evidence as to why Mercedes have accepted defeat with the design concept they pursued on both their current W14 car and its predecessor.
Despite speculation over his future, Hamilton has reasserted his intention to sign an extension to his current contract with the team, which expires at the end of this season, but once more cut a downcast figure after finishing almost a second off Verstappen in second practice.
"(The car) is pretty much the same (as in Practice One) - a second off or whatever it was, but for me, I struggled in both sessions," Hamilton said. "We'll just continue to go into the details to improve the balance of the car to make it easier to drive.
"It's a tough car to drive but I know everyone is working hard at the factory, so it's a matter of time, just having to be patient.
"It's pretty much the same (as last year)."
Ferrari had confirmed earlier in the week that Leclerc would be taking a 10-place grid penalty in Sunday's race as a penalty for using his third control electronics of the season, after the engine part twice failed in Bahrain, the second causing his retirement, but there was more bad news to come on Friday.
Early in the first session it was revealed that both Leclerc and Sainz had taken new power units, due to concerns following on from Bahrain.
Even with the new units installed, it was clear that Ferrari took a conservative approach to Friday's sessions, with Sainz's seventh-placed finish in first practice their highest of the day.
While it was certainly an underwhelming day for the Italian team, Sky Sports F1 Karun's Chandhok expects them to provide a more competitive showing in qualifying on Saturday.
"I do think Ferrari were holding back," Chandhok said. "I do think with all the reliability concerns they've got, they haven't turned the engines up as much as they'd like on a Friday.
"I expect them, certainly in qualifying, to be right in the fight."
Formula 1 street racing is back! Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race are live at 5pm. Get Sky Sports
