Saudi Arabia GP: Charles Leclerc keeps Ferrari juggernaut rolling, tops timesheet in FP1

Ferrari driver and the opening race of the 2022 season winner, Charles Leclerc, topped the first free practice session with a time of 1:30:722, replacing Max Verstappen after staying on second for most of the time. On the track, just like last year, the cars appeared to be very fast, setting up high hopes for the second Saudi Arabian GP within just 5 months.

Around 17 minutes into the session, we saw a red flag coming out, which brought the session to a roughly 10-minute halt. The debris on the track was that of a braking marker, which had fallen on the track adjacent to the boundary going into turn 1. It was then hit by Lando Norris‘ front right. And with the wind being high in speed as well, cleaning it was a challenge, hence the red flag.

A common pattern for most of the drivers, within the opening minutes, was the lockup on the final turn. We saw Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, and Pierre Gasly’s front left tire locking up on the final turn. Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen both felt a tumble due to the wind as they were trying to put in their best lap around the 38-minute mark. Gasly, despite touching the wall, managed to put on his fastest lap of the day.

How did the other drivers perform in the first session heading towards the Saudi Arabian GP?

After resumption, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were the first ones to come out of the garages, shifting on the softs after some slow laps on hard tires before the red flag. Later on, Lewis Hamilton was heard over the radio, saying, “There’s a lot of bouncing,” signs that the Silver Arrows’ driver might have to deal with porpoising yet again.

Kevin Magnussen’s Haas was the first car to be in trouble in this windy and daylight session. The driver’s VF-22 still seems to be dealing with the hydraulics issue that we also saw in the qualifying in the Bahrain GP. The driver returned to the garage within the first five minutes after getting his car out on the track. Kevin’s Haas couldn’t put on any lap time for this session.

Ferrari, who are the favorites to win going into the weekend, got their cars last on the track, putting in their first lap in nearly the 25-minute mark. Carlos Sainz’s radio must be a concern for the team as porpoising seems to be troubling the Spaniard.

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