Verstappen prepping for ‘very tight’ battle for pole in Jeddah

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Max Verstappen is anticipating a fierce battle for pole position on Friday in Jeddah following an opening day of running that was tightly disputed between the field’s front-runners.

Although Verstappen led FP1 fresh off his win in last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, the Red Bull charger clocked in third in FP2, with the Dutchman conceding 0.331s to Aston Martin pace setter Fernando Alonso, with Mercedes’ George Russell slotting into second.

Verstappen had no specific complaints to formulate but suggested that some of Red Bull’s direct rivals may have the upper hand this weekend in terms of their car’s one-lap pace.

“It will be again very, very tight,” commented the three-time F1 world champion.

“I think that is probably where other people are probably a bit better than us, over one lap. Our car probably comes a bit more alive on the long run.

2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

“I think overall we learned a lot,” he added. “Of course, there’s always things you look at to do better over one-lap performance.

“But I think also some teams already, they used a little bit more power, like they did in Bahrain, so we’ll take that also into consideration.

“But when we went into the long runs, it looks again quite nice, so quite happy with that.”

Last year, Jeddah was the scene of Sergio Perez’s fifth career win in F1. The Mexican reckoned after FP2 that he was off to a good start, hinting that there was more to come from his side of the Red Bull garage.

“I think we’re in a good spot, in a good place – it was a very positive [Thursday],” he said.

“We have a very good idea which direction we need to take to make the car faster and if we’re able to do that, it’s going to benefit the long run, it’s going to benefit the qualifying. So, very pleased with the day.

“I think it’s just, you know, a matter of putting everything together for tomorrow, that will be the main target and we’ll see what we’re able to do.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.