Verstappen shrugs off bug to top practice in Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH: Max Verstappen showed no ill effects from a stomach bug on Friday as he topped the times for Red Bull ahead of Fernando Alonso in Friday’s second free practice at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The defending double world champion, shaking off the stomach upset that had delayed his arrival in Jeddah by 24 hours, clocked a best lap in one minute 29.603 seconds to outpace two-time champion Alonso’s Aston Martin by 0.208 seconds. Sergio Perez was third in the second Red Bull ahead of Esteban Ocon of Alpine, George Russell of Mercedes and Pierre Gasly in the second Alpine.

“I think we had a positive day, but I think there’s still quite a few things we can improve,” reported Verstappen. “It’s just fine-tuning, with the downshifts. Things we do all the time,” he added.

Perez revealed he had suffered mechanical issues. “Hopefully, we can sort it out for tomorrow,” he said. “And it will bring us more pace so I can have a better idea of where this car is.

Today it was inconsistent, difficult to get a proper read. “We seem to be strong, but the competition is there as expected.” Alonso’s Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll was seventh ahead of Nico Hulkenberg of Haas and the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, both of whom were equipped with new power units. Leclerc already has a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race for taking a third electronic control unit of the season.