2024 F1 Round 2, Saudi Arabian GP FP1: Verstappen Fastest in 1:29.659, Alonso 0.186 Seconds Behind, Pérez Third

Opening practice for the second round of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, took place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the evening of 7 March Beijing time. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led the session with a 1:29.659, just 0.186 seconds ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. The other Red Bull driver, Sergio Pérez, was third.

Verstappen reported an issue with the way his engine was running, but that did not prevent him from becoming the first driver to break the 1:30 barrier. The RB20’s stability in crosswinds remained a concern, however, with Verstappen experiencing repeated rear-end slides at Turn 16.

Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth, only 0.28 seconds behind Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were fifth and sixth respectively, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris in seventh and Lewis Hamilton in eighth.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll clipped the wall just 13 minutes into practice, damaging the front-left of his car. He had to return to the garage for repairs and lost a substantial amount of running time, although he was still able to drive back to the pits under his own power.

RB and Haas took a different tyre approach in FP1. While most other teams used softs, the two teams ran long-distance tests on medium and hard tyres respectively. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda completed a long run on each of the medium and hard compounds, covering 25 laps and finishing sixteenth. Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was twelfth, 0.119 seconds ahead of Tsunoda.

Ferrari’s Leclerc encountered an unusual problem when a plastic bag drifting across the track became caught on the front of his car. He joked over the radio that there were plastic bags everywhere, saying it was “just like Mario Kart”.