Here's how Antonelli and others performed during free practice in Jeddah

The second Formula 2 weekend is underway. During free practice with a long red flag, Dennis Hauger managed to set the fastest time. As in his first race, Andrea Kimi Antonelli looks set to fight for points in Jeddah.

Formula 2's only free practice session began with a test of the virtual safety car. The session took place quite early in the day, around 13:00 local time. This made it very hot on the track, with the track temperature at 52c and the air temperature at 27c. Furthermore, the track is next to the Red Sea, so there is a lot of wind.

Antonelli looks promising

After 10 minutes, Rafael Villagoméz caused a red flag. He crashed his Van Amersfoort Racing car into the wall at turn 13. The street circuit in Jeddah is very narrow. Several Formula 1 drivers have also hit the walls there. Formula 2 has as many as ten rookies this season. During the free practice sessions, the clock kept running during a red flag. This left little time to test the track for them. Because there is no service road in Jeddah, it takes a bit longer to clear crashes. After about 10 minutes, the session could resume.

Of course, all eyes are on Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In his first feature race in Formula 2, the Italian scored one point. During free practice in Saudi Arabia, he set the ninth fastest time with a 1:44:332. His teammate set the fourth fastest time. Richard Verschoor also did well. He set the sixth time. Dennis Hauger was ultimately the fastest in the free practice session. With a 1:43:793, he topped the list. Arjun Maini was second with a 1:43:896. Victor Martins closed the top three with a 1:43:922.