The Max Verstappen ‘bonus’ found in McLaren battle data analysis
Could Max Verstappen repeat his Suzuka heroics in Saudi Arabia? Don't rule it out
After the first two practice sessions at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, things look relatively stable – McLaren still appears to be firmly holding the performance lead, but can the data reveal any potential surprises?
Telemetry is always there to give us the bigger picture – can Max Verstappen pull off another lap like he did in Japan, and just how much progress has Alpine really made?
F1 data analysis: Pierre Gasly on top in FP1
The biggest surprise of FP1 was undoubtedly Pierre Gasly, who managed to set the fastest lap in his Alpine. Lando Norris was right behind him – just 0.007s off.
From the speed graph during their fastest laps, it’s clear that the Alpine had a significant advantage on the straights compared to the McLaren.
Their aerodynamic setup was focused on reducing drag – a strategy that can be very effective here.
Meanwhile, we’ve known since the start of the season that the MCL39 is a draggy car. Alpine held a top-speed edge before nearly every slower corner, especially leading up to the final one.
On the other hand, Norris demonstrated much better stability through the flowing section of Turns 10, 11, and 12.
It’s also important to note that McLaren almost certainly wasn’t running a full power unit and ERS deployment, which is visible from the speed drop before the final corner.
Regardless, Norris equalled his 2024 qualifying top speed of 326 km/h already in FP1 – highlighting how much more aerodynamically efficient the car has become compared to early 2024.
FP2 and major lap time improvements
Lap times improved significantly in FP2 as track conditions became more representative.
The Jeddah circuit is a street track that isn’t used for motorsport outside of Formula 1 weekends. Because of this, the surface starts off dusty – but as more cars run, the grip level increases steadily.
This means that we can expect drivers to wait until the very last moment in qualifying to go for their fastest lap.
FP2 saw both McLaren drivers in P1 and P2, with Max Verstappen unexpectedly the fastest of the rest – just 0.280s behind the top time.
Last weekend was one of the toughest for the Austrian team in recent memory – but can Max deliver another brilliant, mistake-free lap like he did in Japan?
While Verstappen was quicker over much of the circuit compared to the McLaren pair, Norris and Piastri remained dominant through both the slow and fast corners.
The level of downforce the MCL39 generates gives it outstanding stability and allows the drivers to commit through technical sections with far more confidence than the rest of the grid.
Meanwhile, the impressive top speed of the RB21 helped Max achieve a strong overall result.
Interestingly, Sauber leads this metric – clearly going all-in on exploiting the low-drag concept of their car.
Can Max take pole position?
With a clean, flawless lap like the one in Japan, absolutely anything is possible.
The sector where Max lost the most was the final one, while his deficit to Norris in Sector 1 was minimal.
More precisely, slow corners and heavy braking zones are where he lost the most time compared to the McLaren drivers.
The two-time winner at this venue (2022 and 2024) has shown time and time again that he knows how to extract the maximum when it counts.
What could also work in his favour is the fact that the Saudi Arabian track is perfectly flat – a huge technical bonus.
It allows engineers to run a lower ride height, thereby improving the floor’s aerodynamic efficiency.
All signs point to a very close fight for pole position in qualifying.
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