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F1 results: Verstappen fastest in Saudi Arabian GP practice

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominated Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Friday practice in Jeddah, the second round of the 2023 Formula 1 world championship.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Verstappen was fastest in both FP1, held in daylight, and FP2, which was held in darkness and was closer to conditions for both qualifying and the race.

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix FP1 results: Verstappen fastest from Perez

Cla Driver Laps Time Gap Interval km/h
1 Netherlands Max Verstappen 18 1'29.617     248.015
2 Mexico Sergio Perez 20 1'30.100 0.483 0.483 246.685
3 Spain Fernando Alonso 22 1'30.315 0.698 0.215 246.098
4 Canada Lance Stroll 20 1'30.577 0.960 0.262 245.386
5 United Kingdom George Russell 26 1'30.771 1.154 0.194 244.862
6 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 26 1'30.787 1.170 0.016 244.819
7 Spain Carlos Sainz 23 1'30.924 1.307 0.137 244.450
8 France Pierre Gasly 24 1'30.949 1.332 0.025 244.383
9 Thailand Alex Albon 23 1'31.030 1.413 0.081 244.165
10 Japan Yuki Tsunoda 25 1'31.110 1.493 0.080 243.951
11 Monaco Charles Leclerc 26 1'31.118 1.501 0.008 243.929
12 France Esteban Ocon 22 1'31.181 1.564 0.063 243.761
13 Netherlands Nyck de Vries 29 1'31.450 1.833 0.269 243.044
14 Australia Oscar Piastri 24 1'31.491 1.874 0.041 242.935
15 Germany Nico Hulkenberg 22 1'31.552 1.935 0.061 242.773
16 Denmark Kevin Magnussen 23 1'31.566 1.949 0.014 242.736
17 United States Logan Sargeant 26 1'31.922 2.305 0.356 241.796
18 Finland Valtteri Bottas 25 1'31.970 2.353 0.048 241.670
19 China Zhou Guanyu 22 1'31.986 2.369 0.016 241.628
20 United Kingdom Lando Norris 21 1'32.149 2.532 0.163 241.200

What happened in Saudi Arabian GP Free Practice 1?

Sergio Perez set the pace early on for Red Bull, recording a 1m31.486s. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso then took over at the top with 1m31.262s, before Perez responded with 1m30.592s, and Alonso went even faster with 1m30.509s, pipping him by 0.083s.

Verstappen could only manage third after his first run, over a second off the pace, but then vaulted to P1 on his second run on the same tyres with 1m30.494s, just 0.015s quicker. At the halfway point of the session, Verstappen went even faster on a third push lap on this rubber at 1m30.062s.

Alonso got to within half a second of that with 16 minutes to go, as Verstappen worked down to 1m29.617s, and Perez regained his second spot, 0.483s off his team leader.

Lance Stroll leapt to fourth in the closing minutes, lapping his Aston in 1m30.577s, over nine tenths off the quickest time. MercedesGeorge Russell was fifth fastest, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton just fractionally slower but a tenth clear of Carlos Sainz in the fastest Ferrari. That trio were all over a second off Verstappen’s pace.

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix FP2 results: Verstappen fastest from Alonso

Cla Driver Laps Time Gap Interval km/h
1 Netherlands Max Verstappen 29 1'29.603     248.054
2 Spain Fernando Alonso 26 1'29.811 0.208 0.208 247.479
3 Mexico Sergio Perez 26 1'29.902 0.299 0.091 247.229
4 France Esteban Ocon 27 1'30.039 0.436 0.137 246.853
5 United Kingdom George Russell 27 1'30.070 0.467 0.031 246.768
6 France Pierre Gasly 28 1'30.100 0.497 0.030 246.685
7 Canada Lance Stroll 27 1'30.110 0.507 0.010 246.658
8 Germany Nico Hulkenberg 27 1'30.181 0.578 0.071 246.464
9 Monaco Charles Leclerc 28 1'30.341 0.738 0.160 246.027
10 Spain Carlos Sainz 29 1'30.592 0.989 0.251 245.346
11 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 27 1'30.599 0.996 0.007 245.327
12 United Kingdom Lando Norris 27 1'30.721 1.118 0.122 244.997
13 Japan Yuki Tsunoda 30 1'30.776 1.173 0.055 244.848
14 Thailand Alex Albon 27 1'30.810 1.207 0.034 244.757
15 Denmark Kevin Magnussen 25 1'30.820 1.217 0.010 244.730
16 China Zhou Guanyu 27 1'30.837 1.234 0.017 244.684
17 Netherlands Nyck de Vries 29 1'30.921 1.318 0.084 244.458
18 United States Logan Sargeant 30 1'30.959 1.356 0.038 244.356
19 Australia Oscar Piastri 26 1'30.964 1.361 0.005 244.342
20 Finland Valtteri Bottas 30 1'31.052 1.449 0.088 244.106

What happened in Saudi Arabian GP Free Practice 2?

Under the floodlights, Verstappen, Alonso and Perez swapped the top spot between them early on, as the majority of teams evaluated the medium tyres. Verstappen got down to 1m29.952s, while escaping a light brush of the wall at the exit of the final corner.

As the teams all shifted to softs for qualifying simulations, Perez went quickest initially on 1m29.902s – as Alonso’s opening gambit was ruined by cutting the chicane at Turn 22/23.

Verstappen lowered the P1 time to 1m29.603s for the fastest time of the day, three tenths quicker than Perez.

Alonso then improved to take second, two tenths off Verstappen’s fastest time, and Esteban Ocon’s Alpine jumped to fourth – just under half a second off the pace – ahead of Russell, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Stroll.

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