2024 F1 Round 2, Saudi Arabian GP FP3: Verstappen Leads in 1:28.412, Zhou Crash Brings Red Flag, Stand-In Bearman Tenth

Final practice for the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix concluded at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the evening of 8 March Beijing time. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led the session with a 1:28.412, just 0.196 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Pérez was third.

Jeddah was sunny on Friday, with an air temperature of 26°C and a track temperature of 38°C. The session was interrupted by a red flag following a crash for Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu.

Late in the session, Zhou lost control at Turn 7 and hit the barrier on the outside of Turn 8, bringing out the red flag. Fortunately, the driver avoided serious injury, and running resumed with five minutes remaining. Sauber faced a major task to repair the car before qualifying. The repairs were eventually completed in time for Zhou to take part.

Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman put in a steady display to finish tenth, 0.698 seconds behind Leclerc. In his only practice session before qualifying, the 18-year-old Briton showed maturity beyond expectations. He would make his Formula 1 race debut on Saturday, becoming the youngest driver ever to race for Ferrari.

Williams’ Logan Sargeant touched the wall at Turn 22 after 29 minutes of the session. He did not return to the track and finished last without a representative time. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was thirteenth, 0.168 seconds ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

The 15 cars from Pérez in third to Alexander Albon in seventeenth were covered by just 0.9 seconds, pointing to a closely fought qualifying session. McLaren and Aston Martin switched to hard tyres late in practice for race-simulation running, completing only one lap before returning to the pits.