No Verstappen, no Red Bull
A touch of hope blows through Formula 1
March 7, 2024, 9:05 p.m
Yes, it’s just training, but still: Max Verstappen was left behind in the second session in Saudi Arabia. Old champions Fernando Alonso and George Russell turn faster laps than the world champion. Meanwhile, Nico Hülkenberg experiences the next disappointment.
The checkered flag fluttered and something unusual could be seen next to the big one: No Max Verstappen, no Red Bull – Fernando Alonso was the fastest man in the floodlights in Jeddah, the veteran in the Aston Martin had stolen the show from the world champion. At least in training, Formula 1 got a little bit of variety this time. In addition to Alonso, George Russell was also faster than Verstappen in the Mercedes, but the boss himself had the highest hopes. “If you listen to the drivers, our car doesn’t drive straight ahead or around a corner,” said Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff on Sky. “We’ll have to see what else we can do overnight.”
The first two sessions before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday seemed more like a snapshot. Alonso drove the Aston Martin around the street circuit in 1:28.827 minutes, making him more than three tenths of a second faster than Verstappen, at least on one lap. For qualifying on Friday, Wolff expects an exciting battle for pole position – but with reservations. “Eight cars can be very close together again,” he said, “unless Verstappen adds one more. I don’t think he was happy with the car at all.”
The Ferraris with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took fourth and seventh place. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton only finished eighth. Nico Hülkenberg finished 18th in the Haas. Before the second race of the season, Verstappen remains the big favorite. At the opener in Bahrain last weekend, the Dutchman also had room for improvement in training, he then took pole position in qualifying and won the race with great superiority.
And the Dutchman was only behind on the fast lap. Verstappen was already significantly stronger than the competition on the long runs, so the record hunt can continue: He has won eight races in a row across all seasons. Verstappen himself set the record of ten wins in a row last year.
