On Track

Saudi Arabian GP: Team makes productive debut in Jeddah

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team completed extensive running in practice for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel completed a combined total of 94 laps in Jeddah ahead of Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race.

At the start of FP1, Lance and Sebastian used the Hard compound tyres to establish a baseline for the AMR21 as the duo completed their first laps of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

By posting a 1.35.812 run, Lance set the pace early on and refined his performance as the session progressed to end his first stint with a 1.31.957 best effort.

Sebastian was a handful of tenths quicker than his team-mate with a 1.31.574 lap, before the pair switched onto Soft tyres mid-way through the session.

Commencing performance running, Sebastian improved upon his baseline efforts and briefly held the third-fastest time, 1.30.886, with 20 minutes remaining.

Lance concluded his second stint by piecing together a 1.31.044 run, which marked a new personal best for the Canadian.

In the final stages of the session, both drivers reverted to the Hard compound to focus on long-distance running.

Sebastian took 10th in the times while Lance was 14th, both turning 25 laps over the course of the hour.

Preview by Cognizant

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Saudi Arabia's first-ever Grand Prix circuit is a step into the unknown for everyone – so gathering data and seamlessly applying it will be critical for a successful weekend. Set against the backdrop of the Red Sea, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit features 27 quickfire corners and promises to be the fastest street circuit on the calendar.

Discover Jeddah

With FP2 taking place after sundown, the second session of Friday was aligned to conditions representative of qualifying and the race.

Lance and Sebastian focused on one-lap pace in the opening stages, first evaluating the Medium tyres before switching onto the faster Softs.

A 1.30.442 run on the mid-range compound marked Lance's best lap of FP2, while Sebastian beat his initial Medium 1.30.959 lap with a 1.30.502 effort on new Softs.

In the second half of the session, the duo focused on race simulations by alternating on used Soft and used Mediums.

But the programme was ultimately cut short when Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed and brought out the red flag with four minutes remaining.

After a combined 44 laps in FP2, Lance and Sebastian ended the session in 15th and 16th, completing a total of 94 laps on Friday.

Lance: "It was cool to experience the circuit for the first time today and it is a very fast track. I think we can see that overtaking will be challenging on Sunday, so qualifying will be very important.

"We do not have a big braking zone to help overtaking, but that means the track has a real flow to it. Getting comfortable across the lap will be key to a good lap time because there are a few areas where, if you really push, you can find time.

"We have a decent starting point with the car, but we will work overnight to make progress and ensure we head into qualifying in a good place."

Sebastian: "It is a fast and fun track to drive, but it is difficult to hook up a lap. I was able to get into a rhythm this afternoon and felt confident in the car, but it became more tricky in the night-time conditions.

"We were exploring the limits more and trying a few things, so we need to review tonight and find a good direction for the rest of the weekend.

"Tomorrow will be an interesting challenge because it is a long circuit with a lot of corners taken flat, so there is little time to breathe and no room for errors. The timing of the laps in qualifying will also be crucial and I am excited to take on the challenge."