Not even the time to metabolize the first race, here is that Formula 1 is already in Saudi Arabia for the second round of the season. The track in Jeddah has very different characteristics from those of Sakhir: a citizen, yes, but extremely fast and with many high-speed corners to face with wide open gas and extremely rapid changes of direction, which require even more detailed attention to the teams. in the search for the right set-up. Not just the engine, therefore: the aerodynamics and the correct management of the tires will be crucial to have a car in place both on the flying lap and in the long distance.
The first surveys by Pirelli technicians did not allow to precisely define the performance gap between the three compounds (C2, C3 and C4): the rapid evolution of the track, also linked to the gusts of wind that bring sand into the trajectory, will be a crucial element in the economy of the whole weekend. Currently all the teams have detected a very high graining, which has a significant impact on wear. A cleaner track between now and Sunday would help reduce this effect and push towards a one stop strategy, otherwise the two stop option would become the most popular.
Speaking of tires, unlike Bahrain, the medium compound seems to be more efficient than the Soft (gap around six tenths) and at the same time guarantees greater stability and durability. The Hard also comes into playwhich in Sakhir had been completely discarded on Friday and brought up for gambling strategies (for example by Mercedes and Alpine).
Almost everyone focused on the yellow tire in the evening long run: only Norris and Hulkenberg briefly tried the softer tire, switching to Medium and Hard respectively after a few and painful laps. Interesting, however, the results of the hard especially at Alpine, with Alonso showing a better pace than Ocon (and also the Mercedes) on Medium demonstrating how this is probably – and for now – the race compound.
The fight for the top positions should still be one history between Ferrari and Red Bull, even if there has not been a real comparison between the two forces neither on the flying lap nor on the long run. As for the qualifying simulation, only Leclerc managed to try the softer tire, while his teammate Sainz and the two ‘bullfighters’ Verstappen and Perez signed the best personal performance with the Medium.
In terms of the race, however, the two Reds had to give up laps at full load due to two contacts against the insidious walls of Gedda in the second part of FP2: Leclerc damaged the left front suspension, while Sainz the right one. On the other hand, the situation at Red Bull was different, with the RB18 which proved to be extremely competitive and consistent with the medium compound with both Verstappen and Perez.
Mercedes is currently confirmed as the third force, but far enough away from the two rivals to hope to enter the fight for pole and victory. The Brackley team presented two low-load solutions for the rear wing, testing them in both free practice sessions, but the W13 continues to be very complex to balance especially on the flying lap. In the long run, however, it seems that the Silver Arrows suffer less from porpoising, but not enough to raise the bar of their goals for the weekend.
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