We pick up right where we left off. Friday’s free practice in Saudi Arabia once again painted the same picture seen in recent events of this early season, with McLaren leading the way and ready to intimidate its rivals. A now customary papaya one-two, but one that highlights several interesting points, starting with the rear wing choice.
In Jeddah, the Woking team showed up with a lower-downforce rear wing compared to previous Grands Prix. It’s not entirely new, as this setup had already been tested during pre-season testing in Bahrain and in FP1 in Australia, although in both cases they reverted to a medium-downforce configuration.
On a circuit like Jeddah, it’s essential to strike the right balance between the downforce needed to be competitive in the first sector and top speeds to take full advantage of the long straights in the second and third sectors. The grip provided by Jeddah’s asphalt—among the best on the calendar—allowed teams to opt for lower rear downforce, as also seen in Suzuka.
This context helps explain why McLaren followed the path already taken by other teams, reducing rear downforce in search of better straight-line performance. While it’s still unclear how much more McLaren has up its sleeve in terms of engine maps, part of the gap is still visible, especially compared to Ferrari and Red Bull.
However, one important factor must be considered: as confirmed by Helmut Marko, Red Bull ran slightly more aggressive engine settings in Saudi Arabia than usual, which means the RB21’s performance on the straights is already close to what we can expect in qualifying.
To give a benchmark, on the two straights of the second and third sectors, the MCL39 has a speed deficit to Red Bull of between 5 and 7 km/h. Compared to Ferrari—which reduced its DRS flap—the gap narrows to around 4 km/h. It’s worth noting that in FP2, Charles Leclerc also removed the beam wing, switching to a version with a single element, while keeping the trimmed DRS flap.
So if McLaren is losing time on the straights, it’s fair to ask where it’s making the difference and how it managed to finish the lap nearly three tenths ahead. The secret lies in the first sector. Norris, running on Friday without upgrades, was very aggressive and effective into Turn 1, carrying a lot of speed into Turn 2 thanks to late braking.
The key factor is how Norris manages to maintain such high entry speed without compromising the transition into Turn 2. That’s where he builds part of his advantage—even over his teammate, who was advised to try a more aggressive approach into Turn 1 by braking later.
Norris’s performance in this segment also highlights another factor: the excellent work done by McLaren engineers to reduce mid-corner understeer in slower sections. This improvement has helped mitigate one of the car’s former weaknesses and allowed it to achieve a better balance between high-speed and low-speed areas—now one of the MCL39’s best qualities.
In this section, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes all lose a few tenths, a gap that widens over the rest of the lap. It’s worth noting that Charles Leclerc set his best time on his third attempt, having aborted two laps due to traffic. Yet even on fresh tires, he struggled in that sector. Also, Lando Norris’s time came on a used set, which isn’t surprising since Jeddah has always been a low-degradation track.
Looking further back, Oscar Piastri made up time later in the first sector, especially in Turn 4, where he was much more aggressive both on entry and exit, with less throttle modulation. Interestingly, Norris had matched his teammate in the first run, suggesting that if he had nailed everything, the gap could have been even bigger.
Overall, Turn 4 is a strong point for the MCL39, especially mid-corner, where understeer can become critical. This is reflected in the fact that even with a less-than-perfect exit, Norris still gained ground on Ferrari and Red Bull. A significant part of McLaren’s advantage is built between the first chicane and Turn 4.
Things shift in the following sequence of corners—7, 8, 9, and 10—where Red Bull catches up, which is no surprise. In these high-downforce corners, which require strong stability and aerodynamic support, the cars from Milton Keynes, with their stiff setup, have always excelled. What is surprising is the competitiveness of the SF-25, the fastest of the top teams in Turn 9.
In the season’s opening rounds, Ferrari already showed improvement in faster sections, although both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were also lifting slightly in that corner. Still, seeing Ferrari so competitive there is certainly a positive sign.
McLaren regains ground in areas like Turn 4, where entry is crucial and followed by quick direction changes, as in the fast chicanes of Turns 16 and 17, where it gains 7 km/h over the competition, and in Turns 22 and 23, where the delta is smaller but still present.
What’s certain is that, as seen elsewhere, McLaren confirmed itself as the top team. As expected, it makes the difference in more technical sections, where front-end grip and overall balance matter most, while still trailing on the straights. Ferrari—particularly with Charles Leclerc—seems to have identified the direction to pursue for the rest of the weekend.
For Red Bull, this was their best Friday of the season so far—an important foundation, since with an already solid setup, they can now focus on refining various aspects rather than overhauling the car. Mercedes, on the other hand, remains a question mark: it was more competitive in FP1 than in FP2, where—due to traffic and difficulty activating the soft tires in cooler track conditions, especially for Antonelli—it couldn’t find the right formula to maximize the W16.
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