Is 33 Coming? Fernando Alonso Led the Second Free Practice Session at the Saudi Arabia GP

The Asturian finished ahead of Russell and Verstappen, who were also Top 4 in the first session.

Fernando Alonso wants to dream of the long-awaited 33rd victory in  Formula 1,  and he began the activity at the  Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with that goal in mind. In the midst of the investigation against the president of the FIA,  Mohammed Ahmed ben Sulayem,  for interfering last year in Jeddah to avoid a sanction that would have left the Asturian off the podium, the veteran driver has focused on his performance and has answered.

After placing second, 0.186 thousandths behind Max Verstappen, in the first practice session, Alonso improved his time aboard the Aston Martin AMR24 and took first position in the second free practice of the day. The Spaniard surpassed George Russell by 0.230 thousandths and Max by 0.331, who remained among the leaders. 

Charles Leclerc with  Ferrari and  Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez completed the Top 5, with  Lance Stroll behind them, which makes the Silverstone team excited about achieving a better result than in the  Bahrain Grand Prix last week. The English scored points with their two drivers, but only in ninth and tenth place, far from what the team led by  Mike Krack aspires to this year.

Aston Martin finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2023, 22 points behind  McLaren; So this year the goal is to surpass Wokin’s team and be the best of the rest, behind the power of  Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. With what was shown in free practice in Jeddah, it seems that this weekend they will be competitive again.

As for Alonso, his last victory in Formula 1 was at the  2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and since then he has been denied the coveted 33rd. Last season, when he finished third behind the Red Bulls in the first two races, His followers were excited to see him win again, but that option faded as the races progressed. Now a new opportunity is presented to the Asturian.