F1 title battle is increasingly focused on McLaren, but Verstappen says he is still hopeful
In Friday’s practice, this is again true, despite Norris being defeated by Pierre Gasly of the Alpine.
Norris leads the three but admits he is not at his best, and Piastri is motivation after his victory in Bahrain last week.
Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all have their own moments, but none of them consistently challengers, as McLaren’s 58-point maker’s champion lead role performs.
Friday practice
During a tense first practice on the high-speed Jeddah track on Friday, Gasly was only 0.007 faster than Norris, between the concrete walls of the course, the driver’s speed.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was 0.07 off third and fourth place with just one-tenth of speed. Lewis Hamilton finished eighth in another Ferrari, just ahead of two Red Bulls in Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen told his team that the car felt “very loose” around the corner of the highway.
Verstappen’s Hope
Verstappen is the only non-McLaren driver to win the Grand Prix this season, but in Bahrain he struggled so much that Red Bull Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko said he was worried the Dutch star might consider his future.
Verstappen said he did not consider the championship photos at the beginning of the season this week.
“I didn’t think about it. I’m just playing in the game,” he said. “I think at the moment, of course, we’re not the fastest. So naturally, it’s very difficult to fight for the championship, but it’s still a long road…I hope we can still improve everything and we’ll see what we get.”
Two-time champion Fernando Alonso suppressed speculation that Verstappen might join his team Aston Martin after Red Bull car designer Adrian Newey made the move last year.
Asked if he welcomed being a teammate of Verstappen, Alonso said Thursday: “Yes, but it’s unlikely to happen.
Alonso’s current teammate is Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence Stroll.
Busy schedule
Jeddah hosted his fifth game in six weeks of a busy start of the season, a record 24 games. Saudi Arabia has a little breathing chance afterwards until the next event in Miami, two weeks.
Williams driver Alex Albon said: “I think it’s already at the top of the limit. It feels like Game 10.
“As drivers, we travel better than everyone else in the paddock. We stay in better hotels in the paddock – it’s just a feature in a privileged position. There are mechanics…these are people with families. These are people who are really struggling.”
However, these rookies still enjoy their first taste.
“It’s just the beginning of my career, so I just want to keep racing and keep driving,” Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto said. “I’m learning new things every weekend, so for me, if I can race again next weekend, I’ll be happy.”
