P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The first red flag of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was required during FP3, after Zhou Guanyu crashed heavily in the first sector.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen led the way on Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by topping the third practice session with a time of 1:28.412s. His time was just under two-tenths faster than Charles Leclerc in second place. Sergio Perez, the winner last season at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, finished FP3 in third, almost five-tenths behind Verstappen. George Russell and Lando Norris rounded off the top five.
One of the main stories of the day was Carlos Sainz being ruled out of the rest of the Saudi Arabian GP due to appendicitis. Ferrari replaced him with reserve driver Oliver Bearman, who also stood out by setting the 10th quickest time in his debut FP3 session. The session saw interruptions, including a red flag due to a heavy crash by Zhou Guanyu. Logan Sargeant also faced issues after hitting a wall and breaking his steering.
Impeding incidents continued to be a concern, with Lance Stroll getting a mention for interfering with Pierre Gasly. Fernando Alonso and Stroll secured the sixth and seventh spots, while Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Bearman completed the top 10 for the day.
