Ferrari haven't got it so far: 'Mystified by Ferrari's lack of pace'
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- GPblog.com
Damon Hill and Nico Rosberg are looking forward to qualifying for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Sky Sports analysts see out an exceptionally strong Red Bull Racing, while Ferrari has disappointed considerably so far at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Possibly as a result, we will see Lewis Hamilton, in an uncompetitive W14, on the second row of the grid. Says Rosberg.
"It's all a bit too easy for Red Bull at the moment," Hill assessed after the third free practice. Max Verstappen was fastest in all free practice and the gap in the third free practice is particularly worrying. The 25-year-old Dutchman was a second faster than Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.
The one-time world champion is seeing Ferrari disappoint this weekend for the time being. After the Bahrain Grand Prix, it sounded from the mouths of Carlos Sainz and Frederic Vasseur that things should be better in Jeddah because of the track's characteristics, but the gap with the RB19 only seems to be widening. "I am mystified by Ferrari's lack of pace. I don't know whether they are holding a lot back in reserve - it would be brave to do that - or if they are struggling with reliability."
Mercedes the second team Saturday?
Where the Maranello-based team is too slow for now, the same is true of Mercedes. Still, the formation from Brackley can hope for a place on the second row of the grid. Rosberg too sees that. "I think there was a glimmer of hope for Hamilton that Mercedes could get in the top five. That would be a small positive. They have a shot of being in front of their direct competitors - Ferrari, Aston Martin - and that would be a big day for them."
Aston Martin does seem to have a better race car than Mercedes. Should Hamilton qualify near the third spot, it will be a hell of a job to keep Alonso and Lance Stroll behind him anyway. How Ferrari will perform in qualifying and the race is still a big question mark.