Saudi Arabia GP

Alonso surprises with best time of the day in Jeddah!

Fernando Alonso

(Bild: AFP)

Veteran driver Fernando Alonso has set the fastest time of the day in the Aston Martin in the first two Formula 1 practice sessions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix! 

The 42-year-old Spaniard set the fastest lap on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in 1:28.827 minutes in the second practice session on Thursday. World champion Max Verstappen, the superior opening winner in Bahrain, had to settle for third place in the Red Bull (+0.331 seconds), behind Mercedes driver George Russell (+0.230). Alonso had already taken second place in the first practice session on the high-speed track.

This had been won by Verstappen, who had complained about the engine in the meantime. The best Ferrari in the second practice session, which started with a ten-minute delay due to a loose duct cover in the pit lane, was Charles Leclerc in fourth place (+0.353), directly ahead of Sergio Perez (+0.473) in the second Red Bull. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (8th/+0.677), meanwhile, is facing a penalty after obstructing Logan Sargeant in the Williams.

The result:

Verstappen faster than his opponents in long run times
However, it is possible that Alonso was running on less fuel than the competition and therefore set the fastest time. In the so-called long run times, which serve as an indicator of performance in the race, triple world champion Verstappen was a little quicker than his opponents, as he was at the season opener.

Qualifying will take place on Friday (6pm), while the second of 24 races will be held on Saturday (6pm), as was the case in Bahrain. The reason for this is the upcoming Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.