Alonso fastest on Thursday at Saudi Arabian grand prix
Fernando Alonso was fastest on Thursday at the Saudi Arabian grand prix as drivers took to the track for two practice sessions.
Fernando Alonso was fastest on Thursday in Jeddah. (Aston Martin Aramco F1/Supplied)
Under lights in Jeddah it was almost a simulated qualifying session as drivers made the most of the same conditions that they will experience during qualifying and the race, with lap times falling quickly and several near-misses on track.
"I felt good in the car today,” said the Spaniard.
“It's always nice to be the fastest in any session, but it's only free practice so we will keep our feet on the ground and stay focused on ourselves.”
"We don't know what the others have been doing in terms of engine modes and fuel loads, so we shouldn't read into the times too much, but it's still been a positive day.
"We've had no issues with the car, completed our program, and continued to hone the setup of the car to extract more performance."
Alonso on track in Jeddah. (Aston Martin Aramco F1/Supplied)
Alonso was fastest with a time of 1:28.827 in his Aston Martin, the only driver to go under 1:29 and eight-tenths faster than the fastest time from the same session last year.
Max Verstappen was fastest in FP1 in the daylight but could only manage third behind Alonso and George Russell in the evening session.
“Overall, we learnt a lot and there are always things you look to do better on a one lap performance,” said Verstappen.
“We know some other teams have a bit more power on the one lap so we’ll look into the data to try and improve our overall performance and extract as much as we can from this.”
“Looking to qualifying I am feeling good, it will be tight but we are happy with our performance today and looking forward to tomorrow."
Tyre analysis from Thursday - click to expand. (Pirelli)
Alonso was fastest of the day ahead of Russell in FP2, with Australian Oscar Piastri 10th-fastest for McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo 19th for Visa CashApp RB.
Earlier, Verstappen led Alonso and Perez in FP2, with Ricciardo P12 and Piastri P15.
Teams and drivers will return for a final practice session on Friday before qualifying at 4am Saturday (AEDT) before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at 4am Sunday.
Watch every session of the 2024 Formula One season live in 4K on Kayo Sports.
