There was no surprise in the final practice session, as Verstappen demonstrated what everyone anticipated and it is highly likely that he will secure pole position in Jeddah.
However, for the second consecutive week, it was Ferrari who seemed to be the sole team capable of challenging the Dutch driver for pole, with Charles Leclerc leading the charge.
Adding to the ongoing drama of the F1 off-season, the news of Carlos Sainz having to undergo surgery for appendicitis prior to the final practice session came as a shock to the sport.
Sainz has been unwell since his arrival in Jeddah and was barely able to participate in FP1 and FP2 on Thursday. However, it was revealed today that his condition was more severe than anticipated.
Ferrari announced that their junior driver, Oliver Bearman, who is currently competing in Formula 2, would be stepping in to replace the unwell Spaniard alongside Charles Leclerc. This unexpected change is akin to a sudden crash test, with Bearman being thrust into an F1 car, and not just any car, but a Red Bull.
Ever get the feeling that you’re being observed? pic.twitter.com/aor4oXofRV
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 8, 2024
We can only hope for Sainz’s swift recovery and eagerly anticipate his return to the cockpit so that he can deliver impressive performances similar to the one we witnessed in Bahrain just a week ago.
Regarding the competitive aspect, based on what we observed yesterday, Red Bull remains the frontrunner, with Verstappen being the likely candidate for pole position later today, closely followed by Perez. The Red Bull team also displayed strong race pace.
Although Aston Martin appeared to be fast, with Alonso setting the fastest time in FP2, it is now evident that the team supported by Aramco had their engine modes optimized for impressive runs.
While Verstappen emphasized that qualifying will be closely contested, it is clear that he is confident and merely echoing the sentiments conveyed by the Red Bull PR team.
It is important to note that the conditions in FP3 cannot be directly compared to those in qualifying. However, the teams will push harder as they fine-tune their cars for qualifying, providing a clearer understanding of their performance.
FP3 commenced under clear and windy conditions, with the track temperature reaching 42 degrees Celsius and the ambient temperature at 26 degrees. As soon as the session began, Bottas took to the track, followed shortly after by Bearman, who was making his F1 debut.
Bearman’s participation in the race marked several milestones. He became the 776th driver to race in F1, the 97th driver to compete with Ferrari, and the youngest rookie ever to drive for the Scuderia. Keep an eye on car #38 SF-24 as it hits the track.
During his initial run, Bearman clocked a time of 1:33.114 on the Medium compound. The Ferrari pit wall provided him with instructions, urging him to take his time in the car, find his rhythm, and gradually build up his performance.
With ten minutes into the session, there was limited action on the track, as almost half of the field remained in their garages.
On his second timed attempt, during the seventh lap overall, Bearman excelled in the second and third sectors, setting the fastest time despite a slight wobble. This placed him at the top of the timing screens, approximately 15 minutes into the session.
Russell, on Soft tyres, was unable to surpass Bearman’s time, falling 0.063 seconds behind the F2 driver.
Over in the Red Bull garage, Verstappen was still out of his car, engaging in a conversation with his mechanics. It wasn’t until twenty minutes into the session that the Dutchman finally entered his RB20.
Meanwhile, Bearman expressed dissatisfaction with the thick padding around his headrests and requested thinner ones.
As the session progressed past the twenty-minute mark, more drivers ventured onto the track, resulting in faster lap times.
Tsunoda voiced his discontent with the ride of his car, reporting that it was bouncing excessively.
With 30 minutes remaining, Alonso had yet to set a time, while Sargeant observed the monitors in the team garage, having stepped out of his car.
Williams disclosed that they were evaluating the condition of Sargeant’s car after he made contact with the wall at Turn 22, replicating Stroll’s incident from Thursday.
Due to a broken steering rack, Sargeant’s running was abruptly halted as the component needed replacement.
The track continued to evolve, with Verstappen consistently improving his lap time, trailing the 2023 pole time set by Perez by only two tenths of a second.
Upon returning to the garage, Verstappen reported hitting an object with his right tire at Turn 10, speculating it could have been a plastic bottle or something similar.
With 17 minutes remaining, Zhou lost control of his Sauber at Turn 7, resulting in a collision with the barriers that left his car severely damaged. Fortunately, the Chinese driver emerged from the incident unharmed.
As a result, the red flag was waved, temporarily suspending the session.
The session continued with only five minutes left, and the drivers queued up in the pitlane, eagerly awaiting the signal to commence their last few laps before the qualifying session.
During the closing moments, there was a surge of rapid laps as the drivers navigated their vehicles around the Jeddah Corniche track for one last time before the intensity of the qualifying round.
Ongoing report…