It was much the same on Friday in Saudi Arabia as it was at the chequered flag of the Bahrain Grand Prix two weeks ago – Red Bull ahead of Aston Martin with Ferrari and Mercedes struggling.
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The Jeddah Corniche circuit throws up a totally different set of demands compared to Sakhir. There is a greater dependence on aero efficiency and the surface is much smoother and less abrasive which many expected to suit the Ferrari which suffers on rear limited circuits.
However, the Scuderia had a poor Friday after supposedly turning the engine down to err on the side of caution, considering Leclerc has a 10- place grid drop after having to take a brand-new control electronics, and both car’s using a new ICE for “precautionary” reasons.
Red Bull, who Ferrari fought for victory with last year had no such issues. Despite missing the media day due to a stomach bug, Verstappen topped both the morning and afternoon sessions comfortably and once again seemed imperious and totally on top of the RB19.
The team split what tyre each driver ran on the long runs in FP2. Perez had the best average on the medium, which is the desired tyre for the first stint, however, the soft will provide better grip off the line which will be a consideration for teams that are able to carry a fresh set into the race.
Verstappen was a couple of tenths off his teammate after he ran into a little more deg at the end of the stint and was only slightly faster than Alonso in the Aston Martin, who like Perez ran the medium. The AMR23 was just as capable as the RB19 through the fast high downforce corners but was running with more drag and so was hurt down the straight.
And while Alonso split the Red Bull’s in qualifying trim, Aston Martin were predicted to be running with a lower fuel load like they did in Bahrain, and so it is likely they won’t be as quick tomorrow, yet they seem a cut above the chasing pack.
Mercedes will hope so after what was another difficult day. Although they were competitive in the speed traps thanks to running a low downforce level, they lacked pace in the slow speed corners with Hamilton saying that “it is a tough car to drive” and that the team will “go into the details to improve the balance” for tomorrow.
The seven- time champion ended the session just over half a second off teammate George Russell and didn’t complete a representative long run after he abandoning his run on the softs as he overheated the rears.
The main worry for the German Manufacturer will be Alpine – after Esteban Ocon had an average on the medium tyre only 0.1s shy of Alonso and both he and Gasly set quick laps that matched Russell’s pace.
It looks as though Red Bull will pick up from where they left off in Bahrain, with Aston Martin firmly behind. The battle for third is really anyone’s guess – but if Ferrari turn the power unit up, they will likely become a threat.
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Top 5 long run averages – medium tyre
- Sergio Perez – Red Bull, 1m35.096s, 15 laps
- Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin, 1m35.281s, 15 laps
- Esteban Ocon – Alpine, 1m35.373s, 14 laps
- George Russell – Mercedes, 1m35.449s, 13 laps
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari, 1m35.452s, 15 laps
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team