Long run pace proves Verstappen's confidence: Max by far the fastest
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Max Verstappen was not worried after the second free practice session in Saudi Arabia. Given the Red Bull driver's long-run pace, there is no reason to be worried. Indeed, Verstappen was again by far the best in the long run.
Fernando Alonso was fastest in the second free practice session. In this session, conditions are the same as in qualifying and the race, but it has not made much of a difference as of yet. Verstappen himself hinted afterwards that, as in Bahrain, the rivals have turned up the engine some more, and the long run seems to confirm that.
In Max Verstappen's long run, the Dutchman's average lap time was 1.34.0. This makes Verstappen by far the fastest driver of the day. Almost all drivers complete their long runs on the medium tyre, with only Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris opting for the soft tyre. However, they also failed to match the Dutchman's times.
Who has the best long-run pace in Saudi Arabia?
Verstappen appears to be consistently quick. The slowest time in his long run is 1.34.3, and the fastest time is 1.33.7. By comparison, his teammate Sergio Perez is the only one coming close, but the Mexican too does not lap better than an average of 1.34.4.
Alonso, who seemed so fast in the short runs, gives up a considerable amount of pace in the long run. On the same medium tyre, the Spaniard's average is 1.34.8, almost a second per lap slower than Verstappen. Alonso's teammate, Lance Stroll, is averaging a 1.35.3.
Ferrari's long run pace looks okay. Charles Leclerc drove a long stint but did so on the soft tyre. The Monegasque's average was 1.34.5 and he managed to record a 1.33.8 on his final lap. This made him, like Verstappen, the only driver to lap better than 1.34. Leclerc narrowly beat Lando Norris in his long run on the soft tyre.
From Mercedes, it is difficult to say where they stand at the moment. Both drivers were on track late for a long run, and Lewis Hamilton had to abort it early due to engine problems. George Russell completed three laps and clocked an average of 1.34.4 there.
