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Formula 1
Saudi Arabia GP
F1 Saudi Arabia GP Live Commentary and Updates
Saturday's practice and qualifying from Jeddah
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Leclerc is currently eighth, ahead of Giovinazzi and Ocon. Those outside the top 10 at the moment are Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Russell, Alonso and spinner Sainz - who we now hope is wearing fresh underwear...
As Bottas takes third, shuffling Hamilton back to fourth, it's a good improvement on the mediums for Tsunoda who takes fifth, just ahead of team-mate Gasly. Norris moves up to seventh on softs, but complains that Perez blocked him.
Perez now goes fastest on a 1m27.946s, just 0.007s ahead of Verstappen.
Russell has now swapped his soft tyres for mediums, and is currently P11, while Norris is the only man using softs at the moment as he seeks to move up from his current P10.
Just over a tenth in it between Verstappen and Hamilton on the medium, although the Red Bull man was able to get down to that time straight away, while his world championship rival took a few attempts. How will they fare though on switching to the soft for Q3?
Perez meanwhile jumps up to second on a 1m28.175s, but is then shuffled back to third by Hamilton - unhappy with his car - on a 1m28.068s.
Verstappen has a moment through Turn 11 and bounced over the kerb, but Sainz then has an even bigger moment and spins - but manages to save it, without ending up hard in the wall. That will have caught his attention...
"I don't know what we're doing, I have no grip out here," complains Hamilton. Intriguingly, Bottas had the fastest middle sector on that last flyer - Verstappen of course the quickest in sectors one and three.
Hamilton's first effort on the medium puts him third, behind Verstappen and Leclerc, on a 1m28.715s. Bottas though pumps in a 1m28.230s to go second-quickest.
After his engine worries at the end of Q1, Bottas is back out and running again. "Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Leclerc splits the Red Bulls and moves into second with a 1m28.612s, while Norris goes fourth on a 1m29.136s. All these times are on the mediums so far, remember.
The first man over the line to set a flyer is Perez on a 1m28.861s, but that's blown away by the following Verstappen who posts a 1m27.953s.
Interestingly of the cars that have headed out so far for Q2, everybody is on the mediums to start with, aside from Russell. That of course may change later on though...
The stewards have noted the Sainz-Gasly incident, which we'll surely be hearing more about later.
We're underway now for Q2. Who's your money on to make the top 10 shootout?
So amid all the excitement over Bottas's engine, here's how Q1 ended up:
1. Perez
2. Bottas
3. Ricciardo
4. Sainz
Four different makes in the top four. Just how we like it.
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Sainz has a near-miss on his final lap with Gasly, who is dawdling in the middle of the track exiting the first complex of corners and causes the Ferrari man to jump on the brakes in avoidance.
Schumacher isn't happy on the radio, it seems he forgot to turn on DRS on his final lap. It's P19 for the German.
"What? Oh man," is Vettel's response to being told that he's only 17th. Not a good day at the office for the Silverstone team.
The big mover on the final lap is Ricciardo, who charges up to third, but at the bottom end of the grid there are no changes and Alonso just scrapes through, with Latifi, both Astons and the Haas pair missing out.
Bottas made it into the pitlane but came to a halt just after crossing the pit entry line, which left Hamilton with no room to manoeuvre. The Mercedes mechanics come and give him a helping hand, but Bottas may go no further in qualifying tonight.
Russell improves as the checkered flag comes out, moving him up to P13 and putting Alonso on the bubble...
"I've got some misfiring," reports Bottas who is crawling along the pit straight.
It looks set to be another good day at the office for Alfa Romeo, with Raikkonen currently safe in P11 and Giovinazzi P13. Alonso and Russell are behind them, the men most likely to be in danger if either of the Astons can find a late improvement.
Perez meanwhile has gone fastest of all with a 1m28.021s, 0.036s clear of Bottas in second.
It's all change again down in the drop zone, as Russell gets himself back into P15 on a 1m29.177s. That keeps him ahead of the two Astons, with Stroll and Vettel now 16th and 17th ahead of Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin.
Hamilton has been given a reprimand (his second of the season) and the team handed a €25,000 fine. No grid penalty for the seven-time world champion.
Despite a big moment of oversteer getting on the power exiting Turn 2 - "I had a terrible first sector," he admits over the radio - Verstappen springs up to second, with Bottas now on top spot. It's changing all the time, this.
Can Haas deliver an Origi-like turnaround to ensure its Q2 participation? Schumacher has just improved to P15, knocking Russell back into the drop zone with just over five minutes to go...
Who's in danger of the drop? Both Aston Martins are currently in the bottom five, with Vettel just ahead of Stroll in P16 and P17. Then it's Latifi in P18, Schumacher P19 and Mazepin P20.
Leclerc isn't able to match his team-mate and goes fourth, just behind Bottas. Verstappen is bumped back to seventh for the time being, behind both the McLarens and just ahead of the AlphaTauri pair.
That doesn't last long though - Hamilton's first flyer is beaten by Sainz's second effort as the Ferrari man hauls himself to top spot with a 1m28.330s. Great time there from the Spaniard.
Times seem to be much quicker second-time around, as Bottas now goes second, Norris third and Ricciardo fourth. It's a Mercedes-powered lockout of the top four at present, with Hamilton still top.
Gasly now improves to third, but is immediately bumped back to fourth by his team-mate Tsunoda, while Giovinazzi pops back up in fifth.
After his shaky start, Hamilton blows everybody out of the water on his first proper lap with a 1m28.466s to go fastest - almost two tenths up on Verstappen!
Bottas was only fifth fastest with his first lap, slower than the two Red Bulls plus Norris and Sainz in the lead Ferrari. Remember, the Finn had to switch power units after FP3 due to a leak that Mercedes didn't have time to trace.
Now Verstappen takes to the top of the times on a 1m28.659s, the only man to dip under the 1m29s bracket so far with Perez on a 1m29.039s slotting into second.
Norris though is the next man to lower the benchmark with a 1m29.136s, as Hamilton is forced to abort his first flying lap with a mistake at the first complex running wide over the kerb!
Giovinazzi now goes fastest on a 1m29.634, just ahead of Gasly. A good start for the man who spent this week testing the Dragon Formula E car he'll race next year.
By: Autosport Staff
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