The leading driver’s top time of 1’29.659 on soft tires was just under two tenths slower than Fernando Alonso’s effort in the Aston Martin. Sergio Perez claimed the third-fastest time in the second Red Bull, followed by George Russell in fourth for Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. rounding out the top six for Ferrari.
The opening session of the weekend was marked by gusty winds, with speeds exceeding 22kph blowing northward across the high-speed circuit. These winds led to several plastic bags being blown onto the track, resulting in Pierre Gasly, Logan Sargeant, and Charles Leclerc collecting debris on their cars. Fortunately, none of them encountered significant issues as a result.
Despite the blustery conditions, there were no incidents prompting yellow flags during the initial hour of running. However, Lance Stroll of Aston Martin made contact with the wall at turn 22, causing damage to the rear left of his car. Stroll was able to continue after quick repairs in the garage.
All teams opted to run on the soft compound except for Red Bull Racing and Haas, whose drivers exclusively used either the hard or medium tires.
Haas ended the session at the bottom of the timesheets, with Nico Hulkenberg in 19th and Kevin Magnussen in 20th, and also completed the fewest laps among the ten teams.
Daniel Ricciardo recorded the highest speed through the speed trap, clocking in at 339kph, while Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly posted the slowest speeds in 18th and 20th positions, respectively.
Here are the results from the first practice session of the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda RBPT) – 1’29.659
2. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR24) – 1’29.845 (+0.186)
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda RBPT) – 1’29.868 (+0.209)
4. George Russell (Mercedes W15) – 1’29.939 (+0.280)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari SF-24) – 1’30.030 (+0.371)
6. Carlos Sainz Jnr (Ferrari SF-24) – 1’30.164 (+0.505)
7. Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes MCL38) – 1’30.231 (+0.572)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W15) – 1’30.236 (+0.577)
9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR24) – 1’30.580 (+0.921)
10. Alexander Albon (Williams-Mercedes FW46) – 1’30.747 (+1.088)
11. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber-Ferrari C44) – 1’30.783 (+1.124)
12. Daniel Ricciardo (RB-Honda RBPT 01) – 1’30.917 (+1.258)
13. Esteban Ocon (Alpine-Renault A524) – 1’30.945 (+1.286)
14. Logan Sargeant (Williams-Mercedes FW46) – 1’30.966 (+1.307)
15. Oscar Piastri (McLaren-Mercedes MCL38) – 1’30.977 (+1.318)
16. Yuki Tsunoda (RB-Honda RBPT 01) – 1’31.036 (+1.377)
17. Pierre Gasly (Alpine-Renault A524) – 1’31.046 (+1.387)
18. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber-Ferrari C44) – 1’31.131 (+1.472)
19. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas-Ferrari VF-24) – 1’31.411 (+1.752)
20. Kevin Magnussen (Haas-Ferrari VF-24) – 1’31.577 (+1.918)
