#SaudiArabianGP FP2: @LewisHamilton heads @MercedesAMGF1 one-two. #F1

Lewis Hamilton lead from team-mate Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes one-two in FP2 at the Saudi Arabian GP with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly taking third in a red flag-ending session due to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc’s shunt.

Both title-rivals Hamilton and Max Verstappen had their mid-point qualifying simulation runs interrupted, with the former’s benchmark effort remaining his best from the earlier running on the C3 yellow-marked medium compounds.

Under the bright lights as night fell over the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz lead the field around to post the session’s first time in Friday’s second 60-minute practice session, the Spaniard – running the C2 harder rubber – setting a 1:32.506, which was rapidly beaten by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon with a 1:31.223 on the mediums.

McLaren’s Lando Norris then jumped ahead on a 1:30.771 on the C4 red-marked softs, with the field split between the C2-C4 compounds range during the initial stint, with the Briton posting his time as the opening five minutes drew to a close.

As the Red Bull and Mercedes cars emerged, Verstappen went quickest on his opening flying lap on his first run using the mediums, with the Dutchman hitting the top of the order on a 1:30.104.

Verstappen continued to improve as his stint continued, a few minutes later lowering his effort to a 1:29.706.

Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda moved to the top of the time-sheets just past the 15-minute mark before he was quickly knocked off P1 by Verstappen, who posted his third personal best on his opening stint as he took back top spot with a 1:29.290.

After the Silver Arrows F1 W12 EQ Performance entries set times on their C3 mediums, their early practice program left them near the back of the pack, then Bottas lead them to take the top of the order with a 1:29.079 just before the end of the opening 20 minutes.

But Hamilton, who was one of the few drivers who suffered a front-left lock-up and run deep into turn one and have to cut the immediately following second corner right, then jumped to P1 a few moments later with a 1:29.018.

After a brief halt in action, the top runners put on the softs for their qualifying simulation stints, but their early tours were hit with various problems.

Verstappen had to catch a massive snap of over-steer going through the turn two short-left, due to his tyres being too cold after a slow preparation lap, as the two Ferrari’s showed a short while later at the same spot.

The Dutchman did not go off cutting the second corner as Sainz and Leclerc did, but went very wide and slow through the longer right-hander, which meant the Red Bull driver immediately abandoned his initial hot-lap with the C4 red side-walled compound.

Hamilton also lost his opening softs flyer having to avoid a slow-moving Alfa Romeo through the turn ten quick 90-degree left and then aborted his second hot-lap after running off at the final corner after encountering traffic slowly on the inside line of the left-hand long corner.

Bottas was another driver struggling at the opening corner during his qualifying simulation run on the softs, but he and Hamilton soon moved to complete longer race runs, whilst Verstappen continued to work on his one-lap pace.

After being told this would impede the number of higher-fuel lap running the Red Bull driver would be able to complete in the traditional longer run-data gathering for Sunday’s Grand Prix that normally ends FP2, Verstappen was certain that he wanted to remain out on the softs.

The Dutchman eventually did beat his effort on the mediums, but left him 0.195 seconds adrift of Hamilton’s medium-rubber benchmark – which therefore remained as the session’s best time – and even behind AlphaTauri’s Gasly who’s qualifying simulation on the softs, put the Frenchman third behind Bottas.

Deep into the longer race runs, Haas F1 Team’s Nikita Mazepin spun as he accelerated through upon the exit of the second corner, which meant Hamilton behind him had to avoid the briefly halted VF-21 racer.

The major incident during the closing stages was Ferrari’s Leclerc who crashed heavily with five minutes left on the clock at the high-speed turn 22 left-hander, where the circuit’s first DRS zones ends.

The Monegasque-youngster lost the rear of his SF21 racer on the entry to the corner and slid wide across the short run-off area, slamming into the barriers on the outside and destroyed the right hand side of his car and rear wing.

Leclerc came out of his SF21 unscathed, with FP2 red-flagged and not restarted.

Alpine F1 Team’s Fernando Alonso and Ocon followed Verstappen in fifth and sixth places respectively as Ferrari’s Sainz and AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda came seventh and eighth in the order.

Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez was ninth and the aforementioned Leclerc rounded out the top ten.

McLaren duo Daniel Ricciardo and Norris finished FP2 in 11th and 12th respectively and ahead of Alfa Romeo Racing’s Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Raikkonen who followed in 13th and 14th, whilst Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel were 15th and 16th.

Williams Racing pairing George Russell and Nicholas Latifi ended the day in 17th and 19th respectively with Haas F1 Team’s Mick Schumacher and Mazepin 18th and at the rear.

You can see the full Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 Free Practice 2 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2021/races/1106/saudi-arabia/practice-2.html

#SaudiArabianGP FP1: @LewisHamilton tops time-sheets ahead of @Max33Verstappen. #F1

#Formula1 STC #SaudiArabianGP 2021 Preview – #F1 #SaudiArabiaGP