F1
Saudi Arabia – EL2: Hamilton doubles the lead, Leclerc in the wall
Lewis Hamilton once again dominated free practice. ©DPPI/A. Vincent
We take the same ones and start again, at least the same one. Fastest man in Friday's first free practice session in Saudi Arabia, Lewis Hamilton doubled the spotlight on the Jeddah Corniche with a benchmark lap in 1'29"018.
Taking advantage of the fast turns and sequences of the Saudi track, the seven-time world champion was able to get the most out of his W12 to once again settle into the leader's chair. Unlike EL1, the driver Mercedes did not get ahead Max Verstappen but his teammate Valtteri Bottas slower by only 61 thousandths. The Dutchman finished 4th, almost two tenths behind Lewis Hamilton's mark.
In front of him, Max Verstappen found himself with a Pierre Gasly in good shape behind the wheel of his AT02. Fourth in the first session of the day, the Norman grabbed a small place to position himself 3rd, just 81 thousandths behind the leader during the Saudi night. Enough to be optimistic for the rest of the weekend. Note the fine performance ofAlpine who worked on the race pace and above all placed his two drivers in the Top 6 with Fernando Alonso 5th (0″423) ahead Esteban Ocon (+0″537). Carlos Sainz, Yuki tsunoda, Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc completed the Top 10. All were between 5 and 7 tenths behind Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc in the decor
Tenth fastest driver in these EL2s, Charles Leclerc did not mark this session by his speed but by an exit from the track. Then launched into a quick tour, the representative of the Team Ferrari lost control of its SF21 and ended its race in the protective barriers, pulverizing its vehicle in the process. car. The incident caused a red flag and signaled the end of the session with less than 5 minutes to go. Luckily, more fear than harm for the Monegasque who was able to escape from his car without difficulty. His mechanics will have their work cut out for them to get his car back into shape for qualifying this Saturday.
The first red flag #SaudiArabianGP 🔴
The condition of Charles Leclerc's car 😳
▶ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/5Pyajxwor4
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) December 3, 2021
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Gonzalo Forbes
In charge of promotion formulas (F2, F3, FRECA, F4...). Carried by the grace of Franco Colapinto.
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