đź“· Motorsport Magazine
The 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix kicked off on Friday, April 18, with two exciting practice sessions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. This high-speed street track, known for its 27 corners and fast straights, saw drivers and teams working hard to fine-tune their cars for the weekend. Here’s a simple breakdown of what happened during the day’s action.
Free Practice 1: A Surprise Leader
The first practice session started at 4:30 PM local time under hot and sunny conditions, with temperatures around 31°C. Most drivers used medium tires to get a feel for the track, which is known for being dusty early in the weekend.
To everyone’s surprise, Pierre Gasly from Alpine set the fastest time, clocking a lap of 1 minute 29.239 seconds. He was just 0.007 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who came in second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took third, showing that the top teams were close.
George Russell (Mercedes) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) rounded out the top five, but Verstappen struggled with his car’s balance.
The session was busy, with drivers like Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Esteban Ocon (Haas) getting valuable track time. However, some drivers, like Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), had issues and finished lower down the order.
đź“· AutoRacing1
Free Practice 2: McLaren Takes Charge
The second practice session began at 8:00 PM under the floodlights, with cooler temperatures of about 29°C. This session was more intense as teams tested their cars for both qualifying and race pace.
McLaren stole the show, with Lando Norris topping the timesheets at 1 minute 28.267 seconds. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, was close behind, just 0.163 seconds slower, making it a McLaren one-two. Max Verstappen improved to third, 0.280 seconds off Norris, showing Red Bull was still in the fight. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed the top five.
However, the session wasn’t smooth for everyone. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed at the final corner, hitting the wall and causing a red flag to stop the session. He told F1 TV that he “turned in too much,” which broke his car’s suspension. This was a setback for Red Bull, who are still working on their car’s performance.
Key Takeaways
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McLaren Looks Strong: Norris and Piastri’s performance in FP2 suggests McLaren could be the team to beat this weekend. Their car seems to handle the track’s high-speed corners and long straights well.
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Gasly’s Surprise: Alpine’s Pierre Gasly showed great pace in FP1, proving that the midfield teams can challenge the leaders on this tricky circuit.
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Red Bull’s Struggles: Verstappen admitted his car isn’t where he wants it to be, and Tsunoda’s crash added to Red Bull’s challenges.
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Close Competition: The top teams—McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes—are separated by small margins, setting up an exciting qualifying on Saturday.