Final practice in Jeddah: McLaren leads, but qualifying promises to be heated

Lando Norris was the fastest in the final practice session of the weekend in Jeddah, setting the best time with a 1:27.489. He was closely followed by his teammate, Oscar Piastri, just 0.024 seconds behind. George Russell finished third, albeit with a considerable gap of 0.627 seconds to the leader.

Photo: Mclaren

Gabriel Bortoleto completed the most laps in practice, taking advantage of the track time he had after being unable to participate in the second session yesterday due to fuel leaks in his car. Meanwhile, the rest of the drivers focused on completing fast lap times ahead of qualifying later.

McLaren has been very fast throughout the weekend. The Woking-based team has demonstrated confidence and consistent speed, and in this final practice session they set the pace by a notable margin: George Russell, the closest to the McLarens, was 0.627 seconds behind. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are very close, separated by just 0.024 seconds, which foreshadows a very interesting internal battle.

George Russell, who had been somewhat absent in the previous day's sessions, managed to prove quite competitive, finishing just behind the McLarens in qualifying pace. Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc, also remains in contention for the top five, showing good performance.

On the other hand, the situation for Lewis Hamilton looks much more complicated. The seven-time world champion has had numerous problems, both with the car and the tires, which has left him far behind his teammate. Hamilton is having a hard time adapting to this new environment and the performance of the car, and this is reflected in his times.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, despite having some complications, has shown clear improvement throughout the weekend. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda also put in a solid and consistent performance, managing to stay within the top 10.

Williams continues to surprise with an impressive performance; both drivers have been strong and fast, consolidating the team's strong form. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, is already looking much more comfortable with the car, which translates into a clear improvement in his on-track performance. Finally, Pierre Gasly, driving the Alpine, continues to strengthen the French team's recovery, which is beginning to show clearer signs of progress.

For Haas, Sauber, Aston Martin, and Racing Bulls, the situation remains complicated. These four teams have remained at the bottom of the table throughout the weekend, showing no significant improvement in their performance. Aston Martin, in particular, has been the hardest hit, with a noticeable drop compared to last season. The team appears to have lost much of the pace that characterized it last year, and so far they have not found a way to reverse that trend.

Looking ahead to qualifying, a much lower track temperature is expected, which could narrow the gap between the teams and further match performance. This leaves us with a very exciting scenario: a close fight for pole position is anticipated, with both McLaren drivers taking center stage. However, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and, of course, Max Verstappen, who has been improving as the sessions progress, could also enter the fray. Everything is set for a vibrant and very close qualifying session.