Verstappen’s struggles with getting a satisfactory balance out of the Red Bull continued – he complained of understeer in the early part of the session, and then said the car was “very loose, especially in the high speed” in the closing stages.

When it was suggested to him by engineer Giampiero Lambiase that he try backing off on entry to the long, banked Turn 13 left-hander for a faster exit, he replied: “I can’t. Imagine have no balance, basically.”

There were no major incidents, although Piastri was one of several drivers to lightly brush the wall around the high-speed, high-risk Jeddah street circuit, and Norris one of a number to lock up at either the first or last corners as they got to grips with the dusty track in the early stages of the weekend.

Gasly’s pace is not an indication that Alpine will be competing at the front this weekend. Practice sessions are notoriously unreliable indicators of form because fuel loads and car specifications are not revealed by the teams and can have a significant impact on lap time.