Max Verstappen, representing Red Bull Racing, was the fastest in the final free practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Formula 1. However, there are concerns about Guanyu Zhou’s participation in qualifying after he crashed his Sauber into the barrier at Turn 8. Verstappen set a time of 1:28.412s, giving him a two-tenths advantage over Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Despite the session being resumed with five minutes remaining, Verstappen’s time remained unbeatable. Leclerc came closest to challenging Verstappen, with Sergio Perez close behind by 0.494s.
Ferrari’s performance in the race will depend on Leclerc, as Carlos Sainz will be unable to participate due to a diagnosis of appendicitis. Oliver Bearman, a Ferrari junior driver, took Sainz’s place and is set to become the third youngest driver in F1 history to compete in a Grand Prix. Bearman has shown promise from the start and received positive feedback for his performance in the high-speed sections. He finished in 10th place overall, 0.894s behind Verstappen.
Lando Norris initially had the potential to challenge Verstappen’s time, but aborted the lap. However, he later improved and secured a place among the top five. The two Aston Martin drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively, with George Russell of Mercedes in fourth place. Lewis Hamilton, using a different rear wing setup, struggled and ended up in ninth place, three tenths behind his teammate.
The Haas driver, Kevin Magnussen, briefly held the fourth position, but dropped to 11th place, while Nico Hulkenberg finished in 15th in the sister car. Alpine managed to avoid being at the bottom of the timing sheet, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon in 12th and 14th place, respectively. Yuki Tsunoda, who drives for RB, finished between the two Alpine drivers.
Daniel Ricciardo finished in 16th place, followed by Alex Albon and the two Sauber drivers. Valtteri Bottas was 1.6s off the pace, with Guanyu Zhou, unable to participate in the session, seven tenths behind. Williams’ Logan Sargeant was unable to set a time as his session was interrupted when he hit the inside barrier of Turn 22.
