2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP FP1 and FP2: What did we learn?

So the first day of the Saudi Arabian GP weekend is done and dusted. Both the FP1 and FP2 sessions featured Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets with Max Verstappen following him.

The sessions were surprisingly straightforward because the track can be unforgiving at times and we didn't have that many stoppages in the session. Having said that, what did we learn on the very first day of the Saudi Arabian GP? Let's find out.

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#1 F1 needs a rethink on the Saudi Arabian GP

There was a missile attack just 10kms away from the circuit. It's far too close for comfort. It is at this point that F1 needs to be proactive. In principle, we should not be going ahead with the Saudi Arabian GP. There's just too much instability in the country and human rights violation news that keeps seeping through the cracks.

The country does not scream of an ecosystem that is conducive for an F1 race. Yet, teams and drivers willingly/unwillingly have to go ahead and race under these circumstances. The whole situation reeks of the "Cash is King" mentality and it does not paint a positive global image of F1.

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#2 Ferrari and Red Bull are close

Moving on from the stuff off the track, let's talk about what happened on it. During the two practice sessions, it did become clear that both Red Bull and Ferrari have great underlying pace and no other team can match them.

Although the two cars behaved very differently from each other during practice, one of the key takeaways was that while Ferrari still suffered a bit from porpoising, Red Bull suffered the least. Red Bull look better on track while Ferrari have been pulling out the better time.

Since Leclerc had less than optimal soft tire runs while Verstappen did not complete a representative time on that set, everyone is still in the dark about where the two teams are compared to each other.

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#3 McLaren seems to have made a step forward

Lando Norris was sneakily impressive during the free practice sessions but it all came to light when he had the opportunity to put on the soft tire and go on a qualifying simulation. Norris put together a lap that was a tenth slower than the Mercedes.

The Woking-based squad suffered massively with the brake overheating issues at the Bahrain GP. With a change in layout here for the Saudi Arabian GP, would it be possible for the team to not face the same issues and find itself back in midfield contention? Early impressions do indicate that.

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#4 The porpoising on Mercedes is painful to watch

One of the highlights of the first day at the Saudi Arabian GP was the extent of work Mercedes was willing to do with the new car. And having said that, it was almost painful to watch Lewis Hamilton and George Russell navigating their way through the excessive bouncing faced by the car.

The Mercedes car needs a major overhaul to get it back into a position where it can challenge for podiums and wins. For now, though, the team has to focus on 'damage limitations' for this race just like it did in Bahrain.

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#5 The circuit is unforgiving for drivers

The F2 race qualifying saw multiple stoppages with Red Flags, while Charles Leclerc, the winner of the season-opener, damaged his front suspension in FP2. The track is conducive to too many accidents and while on one side that's a good thing in terms of action, it means that the drivers will have to be on their A-game all the time.

Neither qualifying nor the race for the Saudi Arabian GP is going to be a straightforward affair this weekend. As predicted earlier in our preview, expect a chaotic weekend this time around.