Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Motorsport Images

Red Bull dominates in Jeddah as F1 prepares for Saudi GP

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated 3/17/23

Two weeks after sweeping the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull looked as locked in as ever Friday under the lights in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Defending champion Max Verstappen led both Saudi GP practice sessions with a lap time of 1 minute, 20.603 seconds — significantly faster than last year's best.

"I think we had a positive day," Verstappen told the media. "But I think there are still quite a few things we can do better. With a low-deg circuit, I think the lap times are all very close, so it's definitely not like Bahrain."

The lap times backed up Verstappen's concerns: Two other teams were within 4/10s of a second of his lap time. One, Aston Martin, surprised no one; the British team excelled in Bahrain and looks set to challenge Red Bull on pace all season. The other, however, was a bit of a wild card: Alpine.

Max sets hearts racing with this EXTREMELY close brush of the wall #SaudiArabianGP #F1 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/vjAsn4sLIv
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2023

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly set blistering runs in Jeddah, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. After a rough race in Bahrain that saw Ocon crashing out early and Gasly fighting from 20th to ninth, things are looking much brighter for the French constructors.

Ferrari and Mercedes, meanwhile, were left scratching their heads. After battling Red Bull on pace for the latter half of the 2022 season, both teams appear to be a half-second or more behind it in 2023. The Ferraris finished Friday's practice second in ninth and 10th place, and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton could only manage 11th.

"They will run away with it, most likely, this year," Hamilton said of the Red Bulls. "But we're hopeful we might be able to close that gap. At that point it will probably be too late in terms of fighting for a championship, but we can still turn some heads hopefully."

Mercedes will hope that no one turns Hamilton's head in the interim. The seven-time world champion is on the final year of his Mercedes contract and could move — or retire — at the end of the season.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix kicks off Saturday with an evening qualifying session. The race will take place under the lights Sunday evening.

If Verstappen repeats his practice performance, he'll clinch his 16th win in 21 consecutive races — a win percentage stellar enough for a Formula 1 record.

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