F1 | Alonso distracts, Max suffers on the lap and Ferrari wants to dare

There is no Max Verstappen at the top of the day's standings, and this is news. The leadership in the qualifying simulation went to Fernando Alonso, who immediately appeared at ease from the first laps of the morning. According to their opponents, Aston Martin may have used a few more horsepower, a feeling also confirmed by Lance Stroll's sixth position. The day's ranking sees George Russell in second position, appearing much more comfortable than Hamilton, struggling with a rear stability problem since the first laps of the FP1 session.

And Red Bull? Both Verstappen (third time) and Perez (fifth) suffered some setup problems in the qualifying simulation and above all Max complained several times about a less than ideal insertion.

The situation changed a lot in the long run. With a slower pace of over four seconds per lap, the RB20 became more drivable again, and both Verstappen and Perez returned to being the reference for all their opponents. In the eleven laps run on medium tyres, Max's average time was 1'34”038, half a second faster than Perez's pace. Russell inserted himself between the two Red Bull drivers, but only covered four flying laps. Regardless of how tomorrow's qualifying goes, Verstappen undoubtedly remains the big favorite for Saturday's race.

George Russell, Mercedes W15

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Leclerc confirmed himself on the same pace as Perez, but unlike all his direct rivals, Charles simulated the first stint of the Grand Prix with a set of soft tyres. In both sessions completed today, both Leclerc and Sainz used an aerodynamic configuration with greater load, paying for a gap on the straight sections that emerged in the qualifying simulation which saw Charles fourth and Carlos seventh.

The Scuderia's engineers are evaluating the possibility of using a set of soft tires in the first stint in the race, the final decision will be made before the FP3 session, evaluating the pros and cons, i.e. easier tire management in the race but a gap in qualifying compared to the direct opponents.

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

On the hot Thursday in Jeddah, Sainz faced the greatest difficulties, suffering from gastrointestinal problems which raised fears for his presence on the track after a night spent with a very high fever. Carlos gritted his teeth, completing both the qualifying simulation and the long-run. “I hope to feel better tomorrow – he commented – even if I probably won't be 100%. The goal is to be able to push more to the limit and be in better shape for the race.”

At Aston Martin, the feedback that emerged from the long-runs greatly reduced the smiles that emerged after the qualifying simulations. Alonso covered thirteen laps on the pace of a good Alexander Albon, far away from Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and an excellent Norris. Lando (like Albon) used a hard set, lapping one tenth from the Ferrari-Mercedes group with great regularity. At McLaren they continue to be very confident ahead of the race.