Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Red Bull strike back in FP3, Max Verstappen leads Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen topped the third practice session (FP3) ahead of the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The championship leader was followed by Lewis Hamilton, who was second fastest, and Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez, who was third fastest in the practice session.

The Dutchman’s fastest lap was clocked at 1 minute 28.100 seconds, which was 0.214 seconds quicker than his title contender’s lap and 0.529 seconds quicker than his team-mate. Although Verstappen used the soft tire for his quick lap, it was one second quicker than Hamilton’s quickest in FP2 on the medium tires.

The Red Bull team decided to run with low downforce wings at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Saturday's recovery places them well for the qualifying session, after traffic issues on Friday masked their one-lap pace, with their times unrepresentative of their true potential.

Alpha Tauri drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly clocked the fourth and fifth fastest laps at a circuit which seems to be suiting their car and their driving styles seamlessly. The two team-mates were split by merely a tenth of a second.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas had a scrappy run and was sixth fastest, 0.919 seconds slower than Verstappen and half a second slower than his team-mate Hamilton. The Finn’s fastest lap was two-tenths of a second slower than the Alpha Tauris ahead of him in the FP3 of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were seventh and eighth fastest respectively. The two Ferraris were followed by Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who clocked the ninth fastest lap, and McLaren driver Lando Norris, who was tenth fastest in the FP3, ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix session could be the most dangerous on the calendar

Titled the fastest street circuit on the F1 calendar, the fast-flowing nature of the narrow Jeddah Corniche Circuit could make the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying sessions one of the most dangerous ones. The high cornering speeds and traffic added to the melee could make the qualifying session a risky one, as displayed by the track running from all three practice sessions.

Charles Leclerc's crash in the second practice session was an indicator of how punishing the circuit can be, and the damage to his car was evidence of the same. According to drivers' and teams' feedback post the Friday practice sessions, on-track collisions could be damaging and lethal in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.