Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Friday Practice Recap

Friday’s action consisted of two 60-minute sessions – FP1 and FP2 – around the 6.175-kilometer (3.836-mile), 27-turn circuit.

FP1 was a mixed bag for Haas F1 Team with Kevin Magnussen limited to just 2 installation laps before a hydraulic leak resulted in his VF-22 remaining in the garage for repairs. Mick Schumacher fared better than his teammate with 22 laps recorded across the hour. The German sampled Pirelli’s P Zero White hard tire to start before switching up to the Yellow medium compound – on which he set his fastest lap of 1:34.429 (P19).

FP2, set under the lights in Jeddah, brought more heartbreak for Magnussen as he was forced to retire his VF-22 on-track with further mechanical issues. The Dane had yet to clock a flying lap on his fresh Red soft tires – his previous best lap of 1:32.344 (P20) coming on his starting medium set. On the other side of the garage Schumacher enjoyed a clear run in the session – one in which he logged 27 laps. An early stint on the hard compound was followed by a qualifying sim on the soft rubber. Schumacher set a fastest lap of 1:31.169 (P13) before going on to finish the session with a high-fuel run.

Haas F1 Team ran a total of 64 laps on Friday across FP1 and FP2 – 49 by Schumacher and 15 by Magnussen.

Kevin Magnussen, Driver No. 20, Haas F1 Team

“It wasn’t ideal to get the limited running but on the laps I did have, the car didn’t feel too bad. I’m just hoping for a consistent FP3 tomorrow – get some more laps in, then qualifying and then we can use some of Mick’s experience on the long runs to get ready for the race. It’s a great track, super high-speed and there’s a lot of action so I’m looking forward to more running tomorrow.”

Mick Schumacher, Driver No. 47, Haas F1 Team

“Good things were learned. Obviously, it was unfortunate that not both cars were able to run, so hopefully that will get better in the future. I think that overall, we know what we have as a package and it’s up to us now to put it all together.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

“Not the perfect day today but I think we can recoup tomorrow if we have a good day, it’s just that it could’ve gone better. Kevin had too many technical issues with the car but we’re working on it and will sort them out. Mick did a good, solid job.”

Today's Data

Event: Free Practice 1 & 2 for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Friday March 25
Location: Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah
Layout:     6.175-kilometer (3.836-mile), 27-turn circuit
FP1 & FP2 Weather: Sunny / Clear
Drivers: Kevin Magnussen & Mick Schumacher 

Free Practice 1 Rundown:

Schumacher: 19th overall (1:34.429), 22 laps completed
Magnussen: 20th overall (No Time), 2 laps completed
Fastest Driver: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:30.772)

Free Practice 2 Rundown:

Schumacher: 13th overall (1:31.169), 27 laps completed
Magnussen: 20th overall (1:32.344), 13 laps completed
Fastest Driver:     Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:30.074)