Alonso in contact with Verstappen in free practice 2 of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Nightfall and lower temperatures did not change the hierarchy significantly during the second free practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. Max Verstappen was again the fastest (1’29″603). The double world champion placed his single-seater two tenths ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin which gained one place compared to the morning (+0” 208. This time the Spaniard is ahead of the other Red Bull, Sergio Perez (+0”299).
Behind, it is more difficult to establish a clear hierarchy but the performance of the Alpines attracted attention. Esteban Ocon set the fourth fastest time (+0”436) ahead of George Russell (Mercedes, +0”467) and his teammate Pierre Gasly (+0”497). Lance Stroll is seventh, five tenths off the lead.
On the other hand, concern may grow on the Ferrari side. Charles Leclerc questioned his low wall several times to find out if he had problems with his SF-23 and could not do better than the ninth fastest time (+0”738), behind the Haas of Nico Hülkenberg. Carlos Sainz is tenth (+0”989) while Lewis Hamilton is another of the big losers of this session. The seven-time world champion, who complained about the lack of grip at the rear of his Mercedes, is more than half a second behind his teammate (11th, +0”996). Difficult session for Alfa Romeo with Zhou Guanyu 16th and Valtteri Bottas 20th.
