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Hamilton conquers the fastest time, Verstappen gets no further than P4

Hamilton conquers the fastest time, Verstappen gets no further than P4

03-12-2021 17:59

GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton has finished the second free practice session as the winner. The Briton was faster than Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly, who finished in second and third place. Max Verstappen came no further than a fourth final position.

Verstappen started the practice session with the fastest time, but Bottas was quicker than Verstappen. With a time of 1:29:079 he was two tenths quicker than the Red Bull Racing competitor. Within twenty minutes, Hamilton managed to improve that time by six hundredths, putting Verstappen in third place. Hamilton then managed to outdo himself with a time of 1:29:018.

Gasly, who has made a very stable impression in recent races, also showed his worth in Saudi Arabia. Earlier in the day he set the fourth fastest time in the first free practice session, but he improved that time a few hours later. The Frenchman was a tenth of a second quicker than Verstappen and took third place.

During the last twenty minutes the drivers prepared for the long runs. While both Mercedes drivers drove on the medium tyre at the end of the practice session, the majority of the field opted for the softest compound. At the end of the practice Charles Leclerc had a hard impact by hitting the wall. The driver was fortunately unhurt, but there was a red flag.

Disappointment for Red Bull

Red Bull will not be satisfied with the first day of racing. Verstappen had to let Hamilton go earlier on the day as well. The Briton set the fastest time in the first free practice session, while Verstappen fell six hundredths of a second short. Sergio Perez was ninth fastest in the second free practice.