It’s a sunny Saturday in Jeddah, and the final free practice of the weekend provided some interesting action just a few hours before the qualifying session.
With 29°C air and 52°C track temperatures, the drivers weren’t rushing to get out on track. Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the first cars to head out on medium tyres, getting in some important laps after missing part of the action yesterday. Similarly, Jack Doohan went straight onto softs and set a time of 1:30.613.
Next on track were the Aston Martin and Haas drivers, with Ollie Bearman topping the timesheets as he celebrated the one-year anniversary of his Formula 1 debut with Ferrari, when he stepped in during FP3 for Carlos Sainz.
After ten minutes passed, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc went out, putting in laps good enough for P2 and P3. Meanwhile, Jack Doohan put together all three purple sectors, setting a new benchmark with a time of 1:29.666. With Pierre Gasly going fastest overall in FP1, the Alpine looks competitive after a tough start to the season, having been the last team to score points.
As McLaren got on track, it was only a matter of how far ahead they would be. Oscar Piastri led the way, securing P1, with his teammate Lando Norris right behind in P2.
Max Verstappen later proved once again that he’s the one to challenge the McLarens, going fastest overall. Even though the Dutchman isn’t fully comfortable with the car – and with rumours about his potential departure from Red Bull circulating the paddock – the setup changes he’s making seem to be paying off.
As the session went on, the temperature went down, which was very convenient for the drivers and teams for better qualifying preparation.
After Yuki Tsunoda’s incident in yesterday’s FP2 session, where he crashed into a wall, his team of mechanics worked hard to repair the damage before and continuing at the start of the session. Thanking them over the radio, the Japanese driver got some laps in with about 37 minutes remaining on the clock.
The Williams drivers were up there as well, with Carlos Sainz looking more comfortable in his new car and the British team unlocking more of its potential. With 20 minutes remaining in the session, both the Spaniard and his teammate, Alex Albon, were inside the top 10, just one tenth apart in P5 and P7. Maybe this will be the weekend where both drivers make it into Q3 and convert their qualifying positions into valuable championship points.
Another run on new soft compounds went on as the time ticked down, with only 17 minutes remaining in the session.
Piastri, continuing his momentum after winning in Bahrain, set an impressive time of 1:27.513, the fastest of the weekend so far, 0.701 seconds faster than George Russell, who had set his time just moments before the Australian driver. Norris wasn’t far behind, with a margin of 0.158 seconds in P2, and later on going fastest with a time of 1:27.489, putting both McLaren drivers in a category of their own, as no one else could match their speed.
Hamilton was struggling once again. The seven-time world champion doesn’t seem comfortable at all in his new environment, stating that he’s trying to put his car in the top ten in yesterday’s media pen. Meanwhile, Leclerc secured P4, 0.883 seconds behind Norris in P1, stating over the radio that he couldn’t go any faster due to all his tyres sliding in the corners.
Another driver who seemed to struggle was Bortoleto. The rookie and Formula 2 champion went out on softs, but his time was only good for P19 as the chequered flag was waved, signalling the end of the session.
Top 10:
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 1:27.489
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 1:27.513
- George Russell (Mercedes): 1:28.116
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:28.334
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 1:28.372
- Alex Albon (Williams): 1:28.389
- Carlos Sainz (Willimas): 1:28.570
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 1:28.625
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull): 1:28.670
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes): 1:28.679