How it stands for Ferrari in first practice for 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP at Jeddah. How it stands for Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in FP1 at Jeddah.

First hour of on-track activity for the weekend, and all the drivers are out to get familiar with the circuit. Here’s the summary of the FP1 (Free Practice 1) session held in Jeddah, home to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The track situated along the Red Sea coast has joined the Formula 1 calendar only in recent years, establishing itself as one of the fastest circuits in the championship. With high speeds and challenging curves in its over 6 km layout, let’s review how FP1 for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix unfolded in our summary.

In the first half-hour of activity, all teams hit the track to acquaint themselves with the high-speed layout. To preserve the softer tire compounds, almost all drivers opted for the Hard and Medium compounds. This choice was influenced by the track’s rubbering-in process and the futility of pushing for qualifying pace.

At the sharp end of the standings, drivers from Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Red Bull took turns setting “fast” laps. George Russell led the standings, quickly adapting to the Saudi Arabian track in the W15. Lando Norris improved his time at the end of the first half-hour with the red tire, but the gain with the Soft compound was more limited than expected. Certainly, the track’s rubbering-in wasn’t optimal for pushing the cars to the maximum and exploiting the softer tires. The red tires also allowed Alex Albon to climb the ranks and secure third place, about 3 tenths behind Norris.

In the second half of the session, almost all cars hit the track with the softer tire compounds to simulate a qualifying session. Both Ferrari cars conducted aerodynamic tests at the rear using paraffin, possibly anticipating new rear-end components. Around the 25th minute, Max Verstappen and George Russell engaged in a battle with fast laps, with a time difference of only 3 milliseconds. In his first attempt with the red tire, Leclerc remained far from the top of the standings, encountering significant traffic during his lap.

With 20 minutes to go, Max Verstappen showcased his strength, improving his time by over 3 tenths compared to Russell. Verstappen’s time was just over a second off the 2023 pole time, and with the temperatures expected to drop in the evening, the pole time could be easily approached tonight. On the second attempt, Perez got within a few tenths of his teammate, displacing George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

The track evolution significantly improved in the last moments, with Fernando Alonso taking advantage to climb into second place. In the final minutes of activity, Norris decided to change his work program to initiate a mini-race simulation. In the closing moments, everyone focused on race pace simulations, with Leclerc proving very effective on the white tire.