Saudi Arabian GP FP1 Report: Hamilton Breaks Ground at Jeddah Circuit With Flying Mercedes Machine

The drivers finally had their first taste of a drive around the quick street circuit of Jeddah. As the first session of the Saudi Arabian GP went underway, the cars found their initial place on the circuit. And while some fumbled, Lewis Hamilton comfortably put his Mercedes on top of the timesheets.

Although the race on Sunday would be under different circumstances, the daylight session of FP1 was nonetheless crucial in collecting important data. And what can be said for sure, is that the first timesheet of the weekend foretells an interesting story.

With Hamilton dominating the Saudi Arabian streets, Max Verstappen followed close behind. Valtteri Bottas was nearly there with third while Pierre Gasly and Antonio Giovinazzi rounded off the top five.

Read more: A Look Back at F1’s First Night Race Before the Saudi Arabian GP 2021 Gets Underway

Mercedes and Red Bull test Jeddah streets

The predictions of the circuit favor the Silver Arrows. However, very early into the session, Max Verstappen found his racing line and absolutely aced the nuances of the ground he was racing on.

Max just keeps getting faster

As confidence and track knowledge increases, the lap times tumble! Max improves his P1 time to a 1:30.014 #SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/06KaqgjsEn

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 3, 2021

As seen in Losail, Hamilton didn’t have a comfortable spot on top. As the reigning champion gets accustomed to the track, we could see a repetition of the Qatar GP weekend this time around as well.

However, at this point in the championship, both drivers in the team are just as important. While Bottas stayed competitive, Sergio Perez disappeared into the back of the crowd in P11.

It is an important weekend ahead for both the teams; with some crucial points up for grabs, the strategy will be important. Further, with tricky corners at demanding speeds, a DNF could also be costly for both teams.

The midfield battle continues at Saudi Arabian GP

McLaren’s driver, Lando Norris, was at one with the circuit at Jeddah. Having found all the right spots on the circuits, Norris danced around the circuit with absolute elegance. The Woking team also has a crucial battle this weekend- the one for P3. Although McLaren clawed their way to the top of the timesheets, Ferrari wasn’t far behind.

Discovering new ground. #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/rxODrFpWm1

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) December 3, 2021

Ferrari drivers weren’t too sure of their machines on Jeddah earlier this weekend, however, the P6 and P7 finish say otherwise. However, street circuits have been a bit of a McLaren special in the past, so will the tracks be red or orange this time around?

Although, one mustn’t forget AlphaTauri just yet. With a growing pace over the last three races, Gasly and Tsunoda were just as impressive on the new circuit.

What FP1 taught us

The track is incredibly narrow; during the sessions, drivers had to practically stop to safely let other drivers out of their way. It would make for some difficult overtaking. However, all the drivers seemed to enjoy their run around Jeddah. As promised, drivers were cutting it fine to the walls, as characteristic with street circuits, but with some remarkable speed.

****! This track is cool!

Bottas having fun out there!#SaudiArabianGP

— WTF1 (@wtf1official) December 3, 2021

Further, given the different compounds in play, it doesn’t look like we’ll get a solid comparison of the top two teams in this session.  When the sun sets for  FP2, the true strengths will be on display.

And the track does look so incredibly fast! Now, with some data collected and a brief idea of what to expect for Saturday and Sunday, teams will have some time to tweak their machines ahead of FP2. Will MV and Red Bull continue with their pace throughout the weekend?

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