2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP FP2: What did we learn?

The first day of running in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP ended with Max Verstappen on top of the standings, followed closely by Fernando Alonso. The track came alive in FP2 under lights as cars screamed their way across the fastest street circuit in F1.

When the checkered flag came down on FP2, we had a familiar site of a Red Bull of Max Verstappen on top of the standings with Fernando Alonso right behind him.

Sergio Perez made it the same three drivers in the top 3 for both sessions. In P4, we had the surprise entry of Esteban Ocon in his Alpine. He was followed by George Russell in P5 and Pierre Gasly in P6.

The two Ferraris were in P9 and P10 while Lewis Hamilton was in P11 as the checkered flag fell. In a session that surprised quite a few, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

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#1 Fernando Alonso lap vs Max Verstappen makes things interesting

Fernando Alonso was already 4/10ths up Max Verstappen's medium tire lap before he made a mistake in S3. Verstappen himself was only able to improve on his soft tire run by 3/10ths of a second. If Alonso had completed his lap on a soft tire, there is a very high likelihood that he would have been quicker than Max.

Now, there are variables in place, including fuel levels and engine modes. It's also hard to ignore that Aston Martin did run a more aggressive engine mode on Friday in Bahrain as well. Having said that, the Aston Martin in the hands of Fernando Alonso is going from strength to strength.

It's hard to be definitive but there is a possibility of an Alonso vs Verstappen battle in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP.

#2 Ferrari might just be sandbagging

If you find Ferrari in P9 and P10, you have to admit that the car is struggling. Even on the broadcast, Jolyon Palmer and Alex Jacques felt the same. There is, however, a caveat and a possible trend that might be worth keeping an eye on.

Nico Hulkenberg's stunning soft tire run puts him P8 in the standings, roughly two-tenths quicker than what Charles Leclerc was able to put together. A Ferrari customer car, that too Haas, a car made in close collaboration with the Scuderia, should be slower than the works team.

Ferrari tends to run very conservatively on Fridays. It did the same in Bahrain and it might be doing it here as well. It's not a car that will qualify in P9 and P10 for the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP.

Ferrari will be one of the top 3 fastest cars in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP. It does remain to be seen how fast it will be relative to its competitors.

#3 Mercedes could be fighting with Alpine this weekend

Alpine has found its touch finally and the soft tire run by both Ocon and Gasly was stunning to watch. The stint length also showed that the car was carrying a lot of fuel in that run and potentially a better time was in the offing.

Compare that to Mercedes. Except for the last-ditch effort from Russell that put him in P5, the team is all at sea. The car does not look fast for the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP and there is a possibility that Alpine could pose a serious challenge this weekend.

#4 McLaren looks worse in Jeddah, while Alfa Romeo is a bit of a mystery

McLaren ran a more conservative program on the first day of the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP and that could explain the low placement of the two drivers. The car looks less competitive in Jeddah than it did in Bahrain, where Lando Norris had shown glimpses of an ability to go up against the other midfield teams.

It's still hard to count Norris out of points contention, but the day was rather anonymous for the team on the timesheets.

Talking about anonymity, Alfa Romeo appears to be on the same boat as the leading midfield team in the championship finds sees Valtteri Bottas in P20.

The team was somewhat under the radar in Bahrain as well before Bottas stole the march in the race. Could the team be doing that in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP? Possibly, yes, it could be happening.

#5 Williams and Haas could be the dark horses in qualifying

With Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg, both Williams and Haas appear to have drivers that are in top form, when it comes to qualifying. Hulkenberg impressed everyone in Bahrain with the low-fuel run and even in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP race weekend, he's starting to impress.

The midfield picture is still murky for now and the race pace of Haas was such a major question mark after what happened in Bahrain. Having said that, keep an eye on Hulkenberg and Albon in qualifying as the two could spring a surprise or two.