No surprises in the last training session, as Verstappen showed what everyone expected and is highly likely to secure pole position in Jeddah.
However, for the second consecutive weekend, it was Ferrari that seemed to be the only team capable of challenging the Dutch driver for pole, with Charles Leclerc leading the charge.
Adding to the ongoing drama of the F1 preseason, the news that Carlos Sainz had to undergo an appendicitis surgery before the last training session came as a shock to the sport.
Sainz has been unwell since arriving in Jeddah and could barely participate in FP1 and FP2 on Thursday. However, it was revealed today that his condition was more serious than expected.
Ferrari announced that their junior driver, Oliver Bearman, currently competing in Formula 2, would replace the sick Spaniard alongside Charles Leclerc. This unexpected change is akin to a sudden crash test, with Bearman being thrown into an F1 car, and not just any car, but a Red Bull.
We can only hope for Sainz’s speedy recovery and eagerly await his return to the cockpit so he can deliver impressive performances similar to what we witnessed in Bahrain just a week ago.
Regarding the competitive aspect, based on what we observed yesterday, Red Bull remains in the lead, with Verstappen being the most likely candidate for pole position later today, closely followed by Perez. The Red Bull team also showed strong race pace.
Although Aston Martin seemed fast, with Alonso setting the fastest time in FP2, it is now clear that the Aramco-backed team has optimized their engine modes for impressive races.
Although Verstappen has emphasized that the qualifying will be tight, it is clear that he is confident and just echoing the sentiments conveyed by the Red Bull’s public relations team.
It is important to note that the conditions in FP3 cannot be directly compared to those in qualifying. However, teams will push harder as they adjust their cars for qualifying, providing a clearer understanding of their performance.
FP3 started with clear and windy conditions, with track temperature reaching 42 degrees Celsius and ambient temperature at 26 degrees. As soon as the session began, Bottas hit 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 to drive for Scuderia. Keep an eye on car #38 SF-24 as it hits the track.
During his first lap, Bearman set a time of 1:33.114 with the Medium compound. The Ferrari pit wall gave him instructions, urging him to take his time in the car, find his rhythm, and gradually increase his performance.
With ten minutes into the session, there was little action on track as almost half of the grid remained in their garages.
On his second timed attempt, on the seventh lap overall, Bearman excelled in sectors two and three, setting the fastest time despite a slight imbalance. This put him at the top of the timing screens, around 15 minutes into the session.
Russell, on soft tires, couldn’t beat Bearman’s time, trailing 0.063 seconds behind the F2 driver.
In the Red Bull garage, Verstappen was still out of his car, chatting with his mechanics. It wasn’t until twenty minutes into the session that the Dutchman finally got into his RB20.
Meanwhile, Bearman expressed dissatisfaction with the thick padding around his headrests and requested thinner versions.
As the session progressed beyond twenty minutes, more drivers ventured onto the track, resulting in faster lap times.
Tsunoda expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of his car, reporting that it was bouncing excessively.
With 30 minutes remaining, Alonso had not yet set a time, while Sargeant watched the monitors in the team garage, having exited his car.
Williams announced that they were assessing the condition of Sargeant’s car after he made contact with the wall at turn 22, replicating Stroll’s incident on Thursday.
Due to a broken steering arm, Sargeant’s participation was abruptly halted as the component needed to be replaced.
The track continued to evolve, with Verstappen consistently improving his lap time, trailing only two tenths behind Perez’s 2023 pole time.
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 unscathed from the incident.
As a result, the red flag was waved, temporarily suspending the session.
The session continued with only five minutes remaining, and the drivers lined up in the pitlane, eagerly awaiting the signal to start their final laps before the qualifying session.
In the final moments, there was an increase in fast laps as the drivers navigated their vehicles around the Jeddah Corniche track for the last time before the intensity of the qualifying round.
Report in progress…
© 2024
The 2024 football season is in full swing, with many surprises and thrills. Teams from across the country are competing for the title and fans are eager to see who will come out on top. In this round, we had some electrifying games that kept the fans on the edge of their seats.
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