Max Verstappen achieved the fastest time in the initial practice session for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Formula 1. He was just under two tenths of a second ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. George Russell’s Mercedes was the fourth fastest car, closely followed by Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. The top nine cars were all within a second of each other. The Jeddah circuit is much faster than Bahrain, requiring different specifications for downforce, and the temperature is currently 20°C hotter than in Bahrain.
Most cars used the hardest Pirelli tyre compound (C2) at the beginning of the session. Russell had the fastest time on this tyre, followed by Perez, Verstappen, Leclerc, Alonso, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Sainz, Tsunoda, Piastri, Zhou, Sargeant, Magnussen, and Stroll.
Verstappen experienced a moment of instability during this phase, complaining about a loose rear end on his RB20 after a sudden oversteer through Turn 16. Lance Stroll also had a minor incident, clipping the wall at Turn 22.
Alonso’s lap time was not representative as he had to return to the pits after hitting the barrier. Hamilton reported that his car was bouncing too much at the rear, indicating that Mercedes had not found the optimal ride height setting.
Verstappen completed one fewer flying lap than Russell on the C2 tyre, but Perez’s run plan was similar to Russell’s. This suggests that the faster Mercedes was competitive against the second Red Bull on the C2 tyre. However, the Red Bulls may appear more competitive than they actually are due to their push laps on the C2 tyre later in the session.
During the early segment, six cars used the medium tyre (C3), which was the soft tyre in Bahrain. Gasly had the fastest time on this tyre, followed by Ocon, Albon, Norris, Bottas, and Hulkenberg. Norris ran his tyres early, indicating that McLaren could be more competitive on this tyre than it appears.
The performance of the two Alpines compared to Albon’s Williams is a positive sign after a disappointing first race in Bahrain. Later in the session, four cars – the Red Bulls and the Haas cars – used the medium tyre.
In the final part of the session, sixteen cars ran on the softest tyre (C4). Verstappen achieved the fastest time on this tyre, followed by Alonso, Perez, Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, Hamilton, Stroll, Albon, Bottas, Ocon, Sargeant, Piastri, Gasly, and Zhou. Alonso’s lap time was affected by his earlier run on the hard tyre, but it was still impressive. Stroll also performed well on this tyre, considering the time he lost due to his earlier incident with the wall.
There were no major complaints from the Red Bull drivers, indicating that they have started this event with a better setup compared to Bahrain. The Ferraris made adjustments to their downforce between runs, as they continue to find the right balance. McLaren may have more to show in terms of performance, considering their strength in high-speed circuits. However, fuel loads and engine modes need to be taken into account. If Norris was running heavy or had less power, his lap time of less than six tenths off the pace is a decent start.
The Williams and Sauber (with Bottas and Ocon respectively) seem to be performing well on this high-speed layout.