Quitting time!
It’s already past midnight in Saudi Arabia and that means we’re closing our ticker for today. Tomorrow we will of course be back with a new edition, the race will take place again at 2:30 p.m. (FT3) and 6:00 p.m. (qualifying) our time.
Finally, I would like to remind you of them again Large video analysis by Kevin Scheuren, Christian Nimmervoll and Kevin Hermann on the Formula1.de YouTube channel with the following topics:
-Summary & Result
-Hamilton Inquiry
-Analysis of long runs
-Red Bull Racing suspends employee
-Questions from channel members
Have fun with it and see you tomorrow!
Fastest lap of the day…
… can be found here again in the video. Alonso himself explains after his best time: “We had a positive day. We showed good pace in both sessions and on different tires.”
At the same time, he also knows that the opponents probably haven’t shown everything yet. “We will look at the data this evening and try to build on the solid start to the weekend,” said Alonso.
By the way: The Spaniard took his last pole in Formula 1 in July 2012 in Germany. That was almost twelve years ago now…
What was going on with Ricciardo?
While teammate Tsunoda finished eleventh, Ricciardo ended up second to last in FT2. He explains: “We were competitive with the first set of the soft compound, but I had a lot of trouble with the second set.”
“The course was getting better and better and everyone was improving, but I was really struggling to improve my time,” he muses, explaining that it’s “a bit of a mystery” why it didn’t work anymore.
However, his first run on the soft tires gave him encouragement, and Tsunoda emphasized: “Overall, today was a good day. There are still a few areas that we need to look at this evening, but the car feels good in terms of balance .”
Let’s see if the Racing Bulls make it to Q3 this time. At least Tsunoda was very close to the top 10 again today.
Norris: Better feeling than in Bahrain
You don’t necessarily see it in the timesheet with P10 and P12 for Piastri and Norris, but the Brit explains that it was “a decent day”. He emphasized that he had “a slightly better feeling than in Bahrain.”
“There were certain corners where we struggled to keep our balance in the right window,” he reports, but overall it was still “a pretty reasonable day.”
“There’s still a lot to do, but it was a good start to the weekend,” said Norris, while Piastri ponders: “It’s a bit difficult to say exactly where we are, but I think we’re pretty much there again, which is positive.”
“We still have to work a little on the fine-tuning for tomorrow, but I think we’re looking good,” said the Australian, also cautiously optimistic.
Pirelli expects a stop
Saudi Arabia was already a one-stop race in 2023, and Pirelli is expecting it again in 2024. Chief engineer Simone Berra explains that the hard tire is “an ideal compound for the race”.
But what about the second stint? Both the medium and the soft showed “signs of graining” today. Ultimately, both are an option for the race, because the soft 2023 plays almost no role.
But you still can’t “rule him out,” said Berra. Because the “additional grip” that the soft tire offers could be “an important factor” either at the start or in the final laps.
Bottas: At least we know that it was crap…
The Finn ended up in P11 in FT1, but came last in the evening. What was happening? “The car felt quite good in FT1, I felt comfortable on the track from the start,” he reports.
The problem then: “In the second training session we experimented a little more and tested different set-up configurations, some of which didn’t go in the right direction.”
“On the positive side, at least, we have learned which path not to take and the data we collected today will be useful to us in our work overnight with a view to qualifying,” said Bottas.
Of course you can see it that way… Teammate Zhou came 13th in FT2, so things don’t look that bad for Sauber.
Live stream
Don’t forget: Kevin Scheuren and Christian Nimmervoll will be reporting live on the Formula1.de YouTube channel at 10 p.m with the large video analysis of the training day in Saudi Arabia!
Among other things, the long runs from FT2 will be closely examined there again. The following topics are planned:
-Summary & Result
-Hamilton Inquiry
-Analysis of long runs
-Red Bull Racing suspends employee
-Questions from channel members
Verstappen happy despite P3
Of course, this is mainly due to the strong long run. The Dutchman emphasizes: “Today’s training sessions were pretty good overall. The pace was good on both the long and short runs.”
On a lap, other teams are currently a little better, “so we’ll look at the data and try to improve our overall performance as much as possible [aus dem Auto] to get it,” said Verstappen.
Teammate Perez also sees Red Bull in a good position and explains: “It was a very positive Friday. We just need to do some fine-tuning, but I’m happy with the window in which we have the car. We know what we need for tomorrow .”
“We have a very good idea of which direction we need to go in order to make the car faster,” said Perez, who emphasized again: “I’m very happy with today.”
Hülkenberg: Haas “not happy” with performance
From a German perspective, things didn’t look particularly good today. Hülkenberg only ended up in P18 and the Haas long runs weren’t very promising either. The German explains that his run on the soft tires wasn’t clean.
But the other teams probably still have room for improvement, he admits and explains: “It’s pretty close, with a few tenths you can gain several positions.”
In any case, they were “not happy” with the day after things had gone much better for Haas in Bahrain. But Hülkenberg reminds us that Jeddah is also a completely different route.
Let’s see if we can add something more tomorrow.
Russell: Verstappen is definitely ahead in the race
The second Mercedes driver also reported that his day – despite P2 – was “not entirely clean”. “I think we didn’t have the car in the perfect operating window. The lap time looks good with little fuel in the car, but with a lot of fuel I’m not sure where we really stand,” he ponders.
Regarding the race pace, he says: “I haven’t seen the times yet. But Max is certainly the fastest and Checo [Perez] not far behind. Sticking with it isn’t that easy. With these cars it becomes increasingly difficult to follow a car in front.”
“But it will probably be tight again, like in Bahrain. Ferrari and Aston Martin look like our biggest rivals at the moment,” he suspects.
Hamilton: Nothing works with the rear
“A difficult day,” the record world champion sums up his Thursday and explains: “I just lacked confidence in the rear of the vehicle. We changed the set-up between the units and that changed the car quite a bit.”
“But I still had problems with the rear. I had a few slips. And in the fast passages you need complete confidence in the rear. I haven’t had that so far,” said Hamilton.
He doesn’t yet know exactly what he will change for Friday. “We first have to take a look at the data. George is obviously much happier with his car. We went in different directions on Thursday,” he also confirms.
“But I just want a stable rear. I would be happy with that. And I’m working on that,” says Hamilton.
Formula 1 faster than 2023
By the way: Alonso’s best time of the day today (1:28.827) was a good eight tenths of a second faster than Verstappen’s FT2 best time a year ago in Jeddah (1:29.603).
This confirms the picture from Bahrain. Here too, Formula 1 was more than half a second faster on the training day than in 2023 (1:30.374 to 1:30.907).
You can find even more statistics in our large database!
Wolff: Formula 1 problems are “homemade”
At Sky The Mercedes team boss also spoke about the investigation against FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem and explained: “I can remember the situation clearly [2023 in Dschidda]because it was a bit strange.”
“First there was the penalty, then it was withdrawn, even though the case was actually clear. But the FIA will follow its processes here. I am convinced of that. I think we have all learned that we have to be transparent,” said Wolff .
Formula 1’s current problems are “home-made,” he says, and explains: “We are at the top of the sport and we have a lot of fans. Then things happen that simply don’t belong here and are not what most people here want. “
Sainz still not fit
After P7, the Spaniard emphasized that he had consciously held back today. “The last 24 hours have been hard and difficult for me,” said Sainz, who had to cancel the media day on Wednesday because he was ill.
He reports: “Today it was all about going out on the track and learning as much as possible with the car without pushing too far to the limit.” Because he wasn’t really fit again today.
“Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow, even though I probably won’t be at 100 percent. But when I feel better, I can be more at my limit and have a good Saturday,” he hopes.
Fine for Hamilton
And then comes the verdict on the Hamilton situation: The Brit himself gets off with a warning, but Mercedes has to pay 15,000 euros. The race stewards see responsibility more with the team.
This did not inform Hamilton that Sargeant was behind him on a fast lap. That was “a serious mistake” by the team, hence the penalty. Here is the reasoning in full:
“Having listened to the team radio, it was clear to us that the team of Car 44 failed to warn their driver of the fact that Car 2 was arriving on a fast lap. That was a serious failure on the part of the team, particularly given the speeds on this circuit and the nature of turn 11, which is at the end of a series of high speed corners where driver visibility is impaired. We therefore issue a warning to the driver and impose a fine of €15,000 to the team. “
Wolff: “Drivers have no self-confidence”
Things aren’t looking so bad for Mercedes when it comes to long-run pace. Team boss Toto Wolff chimes in Sky However, he is not particularly optimistic and explains: “If you listen to the drivers, the thing doesn’t go straight and doesn’t go around corners either.”
“It bounces and has problems with the aero balance. The drivers don’t have any self-confidence. But I think you’re hearing that from everyone at the moment [Team] on the radio,” said Wolff.
“We’re fast on lap times, and that’s why we have to think carefully about what we’re going to do on Friday,” he ponders and reveals: “We tried two completely different set-up directions. Quite consciously. That didn’t work for Lewis .”
That’s why the record world champion ended up behind his teammate today. He only finished eighth, his teammate Russell a good second.