In the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix’s last practice session before qualifying, Max Verstappen led the timings while Oliver Bearman made his debut with Ferrari.
Bearman, a British driver aged 18, is filling in for Carlos Sainz for the rest of the weekend in Jeddah due to Sainz’s appendicitis requiring surgical intervention.
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Verstappen and Lance Stroll are historically the only F1 drivers to start their full F1 careers at a younger age, with Bearman now the youngest driver for Ferrari.
Early on, Bearman hit the track, focusing on gathering as much experience as possible on the medium tyres. He briefly led the timings ahead of Lewis Hamilton and finished the session in 10th position, narrowly trailing the session leader Verstappen by less than a second.
Verstappen, the current world champion and winner of the season’s opening race in Bahrain, registered a time of 1:28.412. His performance remained unbeaten in his final attempt during the session’s last five minutes, which was affected by Zhou Guanyu’s big accident at Turns Seven and Eight.
Following a ten-minute pause due to the accident, the session resumed, allowing most drivers to complete a single fast lap. Charles Leclerc finished a mere 0.196 seconds behind Verstappen, while Sergio Perez was within half a second of the lead.
Saudi Arabian GP FP3 Results
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 8 March 2024
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:28.412 |
| 2) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.196 |
| 3) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.494 |
| 4) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.552 |
| 5) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.559 |
| 6) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.626 |
| 7) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.715 |
| 8) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.801 |
| 9) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.856 |
| 10) Oliver Bearman | Ferrari | +0.894 |
| 11) Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +1.073 |
| 12) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.134 |
| 13) Yuki Tsunoda | RB | +1.160 |
| 14) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1.163 |
| 15) Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +1.263 |
| 16) Daniel Ricciardo | RB | +1.328 |
| 17) Alexander Albon | Williams | +1.396 |
| 18) Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | +1.671 |
| 19) Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | +2.327 |
| 20) Logan Sargeant | Williams | No Time |
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