Fernando Alonso was the fastest driver in the Aston Martin powered by Mercedes, which is a promising sign for the German manufacturer. George Russell finished in second place, giving reason for optimism. However, it was a disappointing day for Lewis Hamilton, as he struggled ahead of his final Saudi GP with Mercedes.
According to the team report, Andrew Shovlin, the trackside boss of Mercedes, acknowledged that they had experimented with various setups throughout the day. However, neither car ended up in an ideal position. The single lap was affected by traffic and lacked grip in high-speed corners. They will be looking for solutions overnight to address these issues. The long runs were also not as long as desired, and both drivers were unsatisfied with the overall balance of the car. The team needs to find more lap-time overnight, but the positive aspect is that they have multiple areas to explore for improvement.
George Russell, the happier of the two Mercedes drivers, commented that it was enjoyable to be back on the track in Jeddah. The high-speed circuit provided a fun experience. However, the car was not in the perfect setup, and the second practice session was a bit messy. The single lap times looked good, but they are unsure about their performance on long runs. They conducted extensive testing in the first practice session with different setups, and made changes for the second session to learn more about the W15 car. Russell emphasized that it is still early in the season and there is room for improvement. The team will work hard overnight to extract more performance.
On the other hand, Hamilton faced frustration in the sister car. He lacked confidence in the rear of the car and made significant changes to the setup between sessions. The main issue he encountered in both practice sessions was the rear of the car. On a high-speed track like Jeddah, full confidence in the car is crucial, and Hamilton admitted he hasn’t achieved that yet. The team will analyze the data to find ways to improve. Hamilton acknowledged that Russell was in a better position with the car, and they will learn from their different approaches to find the right solutions.
In the previous race in Bahrain, Mercedes showed promise with Russell qualifying in third place. However, they couldn’t maintain their performance in the race, with Russell finishing in fifth place and Hamilton in the last position. Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, won the race with a significant lead. The second round of the 2024 F1 World Championship will take place in Jeddah on Saturday.
(Additional Quotes from Agnes Carlier in Jeddah)