Verstappen tops FP1 of the Saudi Arabian GP.

Verstappen is the fastest driver of the First Practice Session of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix; almost half a second faster than his teammate Sergio Perez, who finished second. The big, or rather not, surprise was to see Aston Martin secure the second row with Alonso in third, and Stroll in fourth. The team is showing how strong their chassis is.

Max Verstappen is in really good racing form. | Image Credit: Red Bull

Hopefully they can carry this momentum for tomorrow’s qualifying session. Getting front row tickets for the race on Sunday will put them in serious chances of repeating a podium finish. Fernando Alonso is really enjoying his time at Aston Martin, and a very motivated, and experienced driver can be the perfect combination for great results.

Mercedes managed to lock the third row by putting its drivers in fifth and sixth place. Looks like the team is slowly gaining pace, and will certainly be fighting Aston Martin and Ferrari for that last extra podium spot. If nothing strange happens on Saturday’s qualifying session, Verstappen and Perez will secure the front row for Sunday’s race.

Since traffic is a recurring issue at the Jeddah circuit, teams must find a big gap in order to deploy their drivers who need to meet target times. Red Bull waited about 15 minutes to release Verstappen, expecting everyone to complete their installation laps, he was fitted with the soft tire compound.

At the beginning of the session, drivers were scattered across the table. As the session progressed, they started to settle in their expected positions, except for Leclerc, who finished the first practice in eleventh place. Sainz was the fastest Ferrari and was able to finish FP1 in seventh, just behind the two Mercedes.

Lance Stroll finished 4th during FP1; looking great for the qualifying session. | Image Credit: Cognizant Aston Martin Racing.

Surface is less abrasive than the one in the Bahrain circuit, some drivers struggled with rear tire grip, especially when coming out of slow corners. FP1 is all about finding the right balance for the car. All the drivers went to the track for short to mid stints, trying to find the right amount of wing, or how soft they wanted the suspension.

Lap times were more than a second slower compared to last year. Once FP2 comes, and drivers start running their qualifying and race simulations, we will see a more realistic pace. Perhaps the second free practice session will be an indicative of what qualifying will look like. The race is going to be a whole different story. A safety car might be called in.

Speaking Ferrari, Leclerc fitted with a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Motor Generation Unit-Heat (MGU-H), and a new Control Electronics (CE). He will get a 10-place grid penalty because he fitted a third Control Electronics. FIA only allows two per season. What gets my attention is the fact that both Leclerc and Sainz were fitted with a new Internal Combustion Engine. Ferrari says that the decision was made to avoid any possible issues; just to be safe.

Both Ferrari drivers received a new Internal Combustion Engine. | Image Credit: Scuderia Ferrari

Let’s see how things unveil once FP2 is upon us.