Max Verstappen was quickest in final practice, where Zhou Guanyu had a big crash for Sauber and Britain's Oliver Bearman made his first appearance for Ferrari; watch qualifying on Friday at 5pm on Sky Sports F1; Grand Prix itself at 5pm on Saturday
Friday 8 March 2024 16:03, UK
Max Verstappen topped final practice as British teenager Oliver Bearman made his Ferrari debut ahead of qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Bearman, 18, has replaced Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the weekend in Jeddah as the Spaniard underwent surgery for appendicitis and is recovering in hospital.
Verstappen and Lance Stroll are the only drivers in F1 history who made their full F1 debut at a younger age and Bearman is Ferrari's youngest-ever driver. He is also Britain's youngest F1 driver since the sport began in 1950.
Bearman was one of the first drivers on track and racked up as many miles as possible on the medium tyres, at one point going fastest ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and ended up in 10th place, less than one second behind pace-setter Verstappen.
The reigning world champion, who won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, set a time of 1:28.412 but did not improve on his final run in the last five minutes following Zhou Guanyu's big crash at Turns Seven and Eight.
Nearly all drivers had one flying lap at the end after the session was stopped for 10 minutes, as Charles Leclerc went 0.196s slower than Verstappen and Sergio Perez got within half a second.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the most challenging on F1's 24-race calendar and with just one practice session before qualifying, Bearman impressed many.
He built into a rhythm early in final practice and still managed to finish in the top 10 despite running wide at Turn 22. Should he be 10th in qualifying later on Friday, it will mean he has reached the final part of qualifying which will be a big achievement considering the lack of track time.
The Ferrari Academy driver had taken pole position in Formula 2 and will be hoping to grab everyone's attention in a similar fashion to Liam Lawson when he replaced Daniel Ricciardo last year for a short period.
"Nerveless. He went out there and didn't make any mistakes," said Sky Sports F1's Naomi Schiff.
"There's only 20 seats out there available in Formula 1 and so to be given an opportunity like this to a driver is a golden ticket.
"It just puts him on the list of candidates for this Tetris in F1 with 13 seats on the market for next year. If he does well this weekend he's putting his name among those potential drivers."
At the front, Verstappen and Leclerc are set for a big fight in the battle for pole position. Both drivers turned up their engines in final practice as Leclerc showed promise on the medium tyres - he traditionally takes big risks when it matters most in qualifying and there is a chance of pole.
George Russell was fourth and Hamilton ninth for Mercedes, who are expected to be battling with McLaren and Aston Martin for a top-five spot on the grid.
Hamilton changed his rear wing on Friday after a difficult opening day in Jeddah but remains second best to Mercedes team-mate Russell.
Practice two pace-setter Fernando Alonso was sixth and team-mate Lance Stroll seventh. Lando Norris was just ahead of the Aston Martin pair in fifth and Oscar Piastri slightly behind Stroll in ninth.
Saturday March 9
Watch the second round of the new F1 season - the Saudi Arabian GP - live on Sky Sports F1 this coming week, with qualifying on Friday and the race at 5pm on Saturday. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership for just £21 a month for 12 months
Anthony Joshua's heavyweight showdown with Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected around 11pm. Book Joshua v Ngannou now!
