With P Zero Red soft C4 tires, championship leader Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was the fastest driver of the day thanks to a lap time of 1’30.074 obtained in FP2. Leclerc also set the best time in FP1 with the same compound, preceding in both sessions Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who set the second best time both in FP1, using P Zero White hard C2 tires, and in FP2, with P Zero Yellow medium C3. FP2, which took place three hours after FP1 in track conditions cooler by about 10 degrees, was the most representative free practice session, held in conditions similar to those foreseen for qualifying and the race with temperatures of 22 air and 29 degrees of asphalt at the start of the delayed start. The drivers used the two hours of free practice to familiarize themselves with the new 18-inch tires at this track, which has been slightly modified since their last visit to Jeddah four months ago. Strong to moderate gusts of wind affected the aerodynamic balance both in FP1 and FP2, while dirt and sand on the track reduced the grip causing a bit of graining in particular on the soft compound. So far, there is an estimated gap between the compounds of around 0.9 seconds between hard and medium and 0.6 seconds between medium and soft, the latter slightly higher than expected.
Mario Isola: “It is difficult to give an accurate reading of the tire performance because today there was a lot of track evolution, both in FP1 and FP2, with a lot of sand on the asphalt and the cars slipping, especially at the beginning of each session. We saw some graining all day, particularly on the softer compound, due to the track layout which imposes large lateral loads but also due to the sand which reduced grip. This obviously increased wear and tear even if some riders managed to control these aspects well. The evolution of the track we saw today should continue, especially if the wind calms down. Most of the long runs were done with the medium, which teams probably see as a strong option for the race along with the hard which showed a lot of consistency. The soft is probably less suitable for this circuit as the graining will increase its degradation, but it’s only Friday and we still have the whole weekend to get a more complete picture ”.
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