Saudi Arabia: pre-qualifying 2021

First practice had Hamilton ahead of Verstappen by half a tenth. If that actually reflects race pace we’ll be in for a cracker. Bottas was a tenth and a half further back, with Gasly another quarter of a second adrift. Next was Giovinazzi (unusually high for an Alfa), then Sainz, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Alonso and Vettel (Perez in 11th).

In second practice, Hamilton, Bottas, and Gasly were covered by less than a tenth. Verstappen was two-tenths off Hamilton but given Gasly’s pace I cannot believe that’s representative. It could be very tight. Next were the Alpines, Alonso leading Ocon, then Sainz, Tsunoda, Perez, and Leclerc.

At this stage things looked ultra-competitive at the sharp end.

Come third practice, Verstappen was the fastest man, two-tenths ahead of Hamilton. Perez was next but three-tenths further back, and closely followed by both AlphaTauris (Tsunoda leading Gasly). Bottas was nine-tenths off Verstappen, which may not necessarily indicate his actual pace, just ahead of Leclerc and Sainz, with Ocon and Norris rounding out the top 10.

The soft tyre may favour Red Bull (or not) but the non-soft tyres seem better for Mercedes which should give them confidence even if Hamilton is edged out for pole.

Half an hour after qualifying there was no sign of markets on Ladbrokes. Verstappen at 2.86 for pole on Betfair was moderately tempting but I decided against it. So, no tip for qualifying, which starts at 5pm UK time.

Intrigued to see if AlphaTauri can maintain their standing from third practice.

Morris Dancer

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