SAUDI ARABIAN GP – Pierre Gasly fastest going seven hundredths faster than Lando Norris in first practice
Pierre Gasly was fastest in first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Alpine driver set a 29.239 just after halfway through the session and remained seven thousandths ahead of Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc split the two McLaren’s the Ferrari driver just under eight hundredths behind the Englishman as he went comfortably faster than Oscar Piastri.
McLaren are again the favourites going into this weekend and following a tough weekend in Sakir, Norris said on Thursday he did not expect to have corrected the issues he is having with the driveability of the McLaren – even though he will start Sunday’s race three points clear at the top of the drivers’ championship standings.
The top four were comfortably the fastest, although neither McLaren’s set their fastest time on the soft tyres. However, Gasly topping the times would have likely down to the Frenchman doing a late run on the soft tyres to pip Norris. Norris goes into this weekend just three points ahead of Oscar Piastri, the second McLaren just over six hundredths ahead of Charles Leclerc.
Piastri meanwhile survived an early scare as he clipped one of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit’s many waiting walls. But the high speed and narrow street circuit is one where drivers need to build confidence, as the track improves throughout the weekend and the times get faster.
Gasly’s pace is not an indication that Alpine will be competing at the front this weekend. Added into the normal caveats such as fuel loads and specifications was the fact conditions were unrepresentative of qualifying and the race, but it was a clean session with no yellow or red flags.
Alex Albon put his Williams fifth going just over a tenth and a half faster than the Mercedes of George Russell, who couldn’t repeat his session topping time on mediums when switching to the soft. That meant the Mercedes spilt the Williams as Russell was just over a tenth and a half faster than Carlos Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton put his Ferrari eighth ahead of both Red Bull’s, Max Verstappen three thousandths behind his former championship rival and was the same margin ahead of his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The driver Tsunoda replaced Liam Lawson put his Racing Bull a hundredth behind as he just missed out on the top ten.
Hamilton was over half a second off Gasly, while Verstappen continued to struggle to find the balance in his Red Bull.
Lawson has been placed under investigation for an alleged failure to follow the Race Director’s instructions, namely allegedly entering the painted area between the pitlane and the track. But the New Zealander was nearly two-hundredths faster than Kimi Antonelli, with Fernando Alonso three and a half hundredths ahead of Jack Doohan.
Isack Hadjar put his Racing Bull a tenth and three hundredths ahead of the second Alpine of Jack Doohan, with Lance Stroll four tenths behind. Ollie Bearman, who made his debut at this race thirteen months ago, was four-tenths faster than his Haas teammate Esteban Ocon. Gabriel Bortoleto completed the field, he put his Sauber a hundredth behind the Frenchman.