F1: Verstappen dominates Practice 1 for Saudi Arabian GP

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Late to arrive in Jeddah due to a stomach virus, defending World Driving Champion wasted no time in setting quicker laps after quicker laps and finally ended Practice 1 for the Saudi Arabian GP with a time of 1m29.617s.

Verstappen’s time was 0.483s faster than his Red Bull Honda teammate Sergio Perez and he was the only driver to dip into the 1m29s bracket.

The Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were 3rd and 4th, 0.698s and 0.960s behind respectively.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were 5th and 6th for Mercedes, 1.154s and 1.170s behind respectively.

Carlos Sainz Jr. was the fastest Ferrari, 1.307s back in 7th.

Plenty learned though, which is the main thing. Red Bull still look startlingly quick, and Aston Martin were in impressive form. Mercedes seem to be lagging behind, with Hamilton unhappy with tire wear for starters, while Ferrari did not show their full hand.

Happy with Practice 1. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing at F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 17, 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Practice 1 Results in Jeddah

POS	DRIVER	NAT.	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Oracle Red Bull Honda	1m29.617s	+0.000s	17
2	Sergio Perez	MEX	Oracle Bull Bull Honda	1m30.100s	+0.483s	19
3	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant	1m30.315s	+0.698s	21
4	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant	1m30.577s	+0.960s	19
5	George Russell	GBR	Mercedes AMG Petronas	1m30.771s	+1.154s	25
6	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes AMG Petronas	1m30.787s	+1.170s	25
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Scuderia Ferrari	1m30.924s	+1.307s	22
8	Pierre Gasly	FRA	BWT Alpine F1 Team	1m30.949s	+1.332s	23
9	Alex Albon	THA	Williams Racing	1m31.030s	+1.413s	22
10	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	Scuderia AlphaTauri	1m31.110s	+1.493s	24
11	Charles Leclerc	MON	Scuderia Ferrari	1m31.118s	+1.501s	25
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	BWT Alpine F1 Team	1m31.181s	+1.564s	21
13	Nyck de Vries	NED	Scuderia AlphaTauri	1m31.450s	+1.833s	28
14	Oscar Piastri	AUS	McLaren F1 Team	1m31.491s	+1.874s	24
15	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	1m31.552s	+1.935s	21
16	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	1m31.566s	+1.949s	22
17	Logan Sargeant	USA	Williams Racing	1m31.922s	+2.305s	25
18	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake	1m31.970s	+2.353s	24
19	Zhou Guanyu	CHN	Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake	1m31.986s	+2.369s	21
20	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren F1 Team	1m32.149s	+2.532s	20