FP2: Leclerc fastest but Ferrari’s session ends early

Charles Leclerc made it a Friday free practice P1 double before contact with the wall ended his running early in Saudi Arabia.

The Ferrari driver, who leads the World Championship after victory in Bahrain, had been fastest in FP1 and repeated that feat after darkness had fallen on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

But Leclerc’s long-run preparation for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and that of his team-mate Carlos Sainz, was disrupted when both drivers damaged their F1-75 within seconds of each other.

Like a week ago, it was Red Bull who were the closest challengers to Ferrari on the timesheet, followed by Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

The session had been delayed by 15 minutes while Formula 1 and the FIA briefed drivers and team principals about the developing situation outside of the circuit, with reports having emerged in the lead-up to the session that a missile attack had caused a large fire at an oil refinery.

Black smoke had been seen billowing, along with flames, during daylight hours, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group reported to have claimed responsibility.

But all drivers chose to run in FP2, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez the last two to head out – seemingly only due to some last-minute preparations rather than any reluctance over security.

After a 15-minute hold, green light for FP2