The first two practice sessions of the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP are now in the history books. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had decent outings during both sessions, finishing P5 in FP1 and P4 in FP2. Following the second practice session, Leclerc took the time to reflect on his chances in the Qualifying session before the race in Jeddah. According to a report from F1 Maximaal, the Monegasque driver believes he has a good chance of securing pole position in Jeddah.
“Now, we have to set up our car properly before the start of qualifying and ensure that we optimize our package. We want to take a step forward compared to Bahrain. It is difficult to say whether I can fight for pole position, but if I had to bet, I would say yes.”
Moving over from Bahrain, Leclerc is very happy with the progress made by his team. Despite being cautious of his team’s standing in the grid, Leclerc claimed the improvements in the SF-24 were a step forward. In Bahrain, the 26-year-old had the fastest lap time in Q2, one that even Max Verstappen couldn’t match, despite securing pole position in Q3. Leclerc would be looking to secure a similar result, only this time, in Q3.
However, it wouldn’t be as straightforward for the Ferrari driver. Given the nature of the track, he expects the Qualifying session to be a very tight contest. There is a lot of grip on offer for the cars, and many drivers are performing close to each other. Hence, Leclerc feels it will be interesting to see which driver can get the most out of their car.
While Charles Leclerc hopes for pole position, Max Verstappen issues a soft warning
FP1 had both Red Bull cars in the top 3, but FP2 only saw Max Verstappen make the list. Finishing P3 in FP2, the Red Bull driver was unable to showcase the full prowess of his car. Speaking about the same, as reported by SoyMotor, Verstappen claimed there is always room for improvement. His team can still improve their one-lap pace. However, it isn’t too big a concern for the Dutchman. Speaking further, Verstappen claimed that there were chances of other teams using a bit more power like they did in Bahrain.
Additionally, the 3X defending world champion claimed that while other teams may have a faster one-lap pace, Red Bull holds the advantage in the longer run. Despite not topping the charts in FP2, Verstappen had little concern. The day was full of positives for Verstappen, and his team was able to test everything they wanted. They know they need to improve their one-lap performance, and FP3 will see Red Bull work on that. Looking ahead on Qualifying, Verstappen feels confident of securing a good starting position. However, he is wary of facing some competition, given the better one-lap pace of certain teams.
