Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso set the pace in Thursday’s second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen led the way in the afternoon’s opening session.

Alonso clocked a best lap of 1:28.827 seconds around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, edging out Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.230 seconds. Verstappen ended up third, 0.331 seconds adrift of the Spaniard’s benchmark effort.

The second practice session was briefly delayed due to reports of loose drain covers on the track, an issue that impacted testing in Bahrain last month as well as the Las Vegas race last November. However, the matter was swiftly resolved.

Earlier in the day, Verstappen topped the first practice times with a 1:29.659, while Alonso slotted into second place just 0.186 seconds behind the Dutchman’s pace.

This weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix marks the second round of a record-breaking 24-race Formula 1 season. The race itself takes place on Saturday night (Noon EST) to accommodate the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Sunday evening.

Alonso’s leading lap time in FP2 compared favorably to last year’s equivalent session when Verstappen set a 1:29.603 on the soft tire compound.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth in the night practice after Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth in FP1. Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz, who felt unwell on Wednesday, participated fully but scaled back media commitments. The Spaniard ended up sixth and seventh in the respective sessions.

“The track, it’s like Mario Kart. There are plastic bags everywhere,” Leclerc radioed to his team in the afternoon running.

Last year’s Saudi winner Sergio Perez was third and fifth fastest for Red Bull across the two practices.

The second session saw Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll sixth, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton eighth for Mercedes, Pierre Gasly ninth for Alpine, and Oscar Piastri 10th for McLaren.

Hamilton was summoned to see the stewards after FP2 for allegedly impeding Williams rookie Logan Sargeant on track, though the Brit explained he was trying to let Sainz past at the same time.

With Alonso setting an ominous pace, the stage is set for an intriguing battle under the lights when qualifying takes place on Saturday evening in Jeddah.