Milan, April 18 (LaPresse) – Pierre Gasly, driving for Alpine, surprisingly clocked the fastest time in the first free practice session of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on the 6.174 km Jeddah circuit. The French driver recorded a lap of 1:29.239, narrowly ahead of Lando Norris’s McLaren by just 0.007 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came third, trailing by +0.070. He was followed by the other McLaren, driven by Australian Oscar Piastri, at +0.102. George Russell’s Mercedes placed sixth at +0.379, behind Alexander Albon’s Williams in fifth at +0.367. As for the other Ferrari, driven by Lewis Hamilton, he posted the eighth-fastest time at +0.576, behind Carlos Sainz Jr.’s Williams, but ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in ninth at +0.579. Italian driver Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes finished 13th, trailing the top time by +0.695.
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