Max Verstappen takes the lead before qualifying, with debutant Bearman in the Top 10

Last test without live fire in Saudi Arabia with Free Practice 3, before a qualifying session that promises to be exciting. Above all, because after one lap perhaps (and only perhaps) Max Verstappen and the Red Bulls could be more vulnerable.

With the sun setting over the very fast Jeddah street circuit, training was clearly starring a man: Oliver Bearman, who debuted with Ferrari unexpectedly after it was confirmed that Carlos Sainz had to undergo surgery.

Bearman, the Scuderia’s youngest debutant

The British pilot, at 18 years and 10 months old, is the youngest driver in the history of Scuderia Ferrari to debut in F1. In just a few hours Bearman had to prepare to take Sainz’s red car to compete on Friday and Saturday.

As expected, He was the driver who did the most laps, from the beginning, to get a feel for the Ferrari. In his second lap he was already a second slower compared to Leclerc’s time in the first free practice yesterday, while today with the medium compound he has been at those marks compared to his teammate.

First red flag of the Grand Prix

The first half of training passed calmly, with little activity on the track. The second half, on the other hand, was more eventful, especially in a frenetic final part due to the first red flag of the weekend in Jeddah.

The Chinese pilot Zhou went off at high speed in Turn 8 and crashed his car into the barriers with 18 minutes remaining. Without consequences for him, we then had to wait for the last 5 minutes to see the drivers on the track again.

Before that, Max Verstappen had been the fastest with the soft compound, lapping for the first time under 1:29 and setting the best time of the weekend already at that moment. Leclerc, with the medium, was second, with Fernando Alonso third who had done a few laps, also with the yellow compound.

In it last attempt by all drivers on the softest tire, the classification varied except for the man in the lead. Max Verstappen finished as the fastest driver, followed by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez. Fernando Alonso could only be sixth, behind Russell and Norris.

The next track session will be classification. At 18:00 hours in Spain We will be able to enjoy the second qualifying session of the year, with nightfall over the complicated Jeddah circuit.

Photos: Red Bull/Ferrari/Aston Martin