Max Verstappen dominated both Friday training sessions in Jeddah; Fernando Alonso split the Red Bulls to finish second in the spotlight; Lewis Hamilton only 11th for Mercedes; Watch the Saudi Arabian GP final practice live Saturday at 1.30pm on Sky Sports F1
Last update: 03/17/23 6:18 p.m.
Max Verstappen was fastest in Friday’s two training sessions
Max Verstappen completed a test double at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday as Fernando Alonso finished second to provide further evidence of Aston Martin’s remarkable progress.
After leading a Red Bull brace from Sergio Perez in the opener, Verstappen, who claimed victory in the season opener in Bahrain earlier this month, was once again untouchable as he achieved a 1:29.603 to finish 0.2s ahead of Alonso.
Perez, who sealed a Red Bull double in Bahrain, was a tenth behind Alonso in third on F1’s fastest street circuit, in nighttime conditions that mirror those of Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Alpine put up an improved display as fourth-placed Esteban Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly were separated by Mercedes’ George Russell.
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Verstappen closes in on the wall on a flying lap in P2 of the Saudi Arabian GP.
However, Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton endured a much tougher session finishing 11th, just behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who were disappointed to be Verstappen’s biggest challengers in Saudi Arabia.
There were suspicions that Ferrari was running its engines significantly below full capacity, as the team experimented after both drivers were forced to take new power units following technical issues in Bahrain.
More soon…
Formula 1 street racing is back! Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Saturday qualifying and Sunday’s race are live at 5 p.m. Get Sky Sports