Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) set the best time in the second free practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, second round of the Formula 1 World Championship, Thursday on the Jeddah urban circuit (6.174 km).
The Spanish veteran (42 years old) is definitely very comfortable on the fast Saudi track located on the edge of the Red Sea, since he took third place in the Grand Prix last season and achieved the second best time of the first practice session Friday afternoon.
Alonso, the only driver to go under 29 minutes on the Saudi night, beat the Briton George Russell (Mercedes) and the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who had been the fastest a few hours earlier, by 230 and 331 respectively. thousandths.
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) took fourth place, ahead of the other Red Bull driven by the Mexican Sergio Pérez, while the Canadian Lance Stroll confirmed the good dispositions of the Aston Martin single-seaters in Jeddah by finishing sixth.
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) is in seventh place, ahead of the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), the Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who was faster than his British teammate Lando Norris, only 12th.
On the French side, the Alpine single-seaters, in great difficulty in Bahrain last weekend, seem to be getting their heads a little above water since apart from the Top 10 clinched by Gasly, Esteban Ocon achieved the 15th time.