2024 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix practice: As it happened

With FP2 coming to an end, we bring our live coverage on Thursday's F1 action to a close. 

We will of course be back to cover final practice and qualifying tomorrow, and we hope you can join us then. 

• Alonso heads delayed FP2 in Saudi Arabia ahead of Russell 

Here's the full results from second practice...

• 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Free Practice Results

Hamilton is not happy with the rear-end of his Mercedes W15, complaining it is "sliding" all over the place through the high-speed sections. 

The seven-time world champion has just gone wide before reporting: "I'm coming in mate, I've got no power." 

Hamilton will visit the stewards at 6.30pm UK time to explain his take on his near-miss with Williams driver Sargeant in FP2. 

Sargeant will also be present to give his perspective. 

It looks like that might be that for the fast laps with drivers starting to switch focus onto race running on the harder tyre compounds. 

Just under 20 minutes left on the clock.

Hello there... Russell has just improved - including a purple middle sector - to go second-fastest and 0.230s off Alonso. 

Russell has popped his Mercedes into fourth, 0.381s behind Alonso. 

Hamilton has struggled to match the pace of his teammate so far today and goes seventh, a couple of tenths behind Russell. 

Verstappen improves to move into second but he's still some three-tenths adrift of Alonso's effort. 

Wow. That's a big lap from Alonso on soft tyres as he posts a 1m28.827s, improving by seven tenths. 

The Aston Martin driver ends up 0.353s clear of Leclerc and 0.473s faster than Perez. 

Stroll manages to go fourth ahead of Verstappen, who is 0.550s adrift of Alonso's time. 

Meanwhile, Verstappen has edged ahead of Alonso with a time that is just 0.017s faster than the Aston Martin driver. 

Sargeant just had to bail out of a quick lap after finding a slow-moving Mercedes of Hamilton in his way. 

Sainz, who was just behind Hamilton, reported over team radio: "What Hamilton did there was super dangerous." 

Race control has noted Hamilton/Sargeant for possible impeding. 

Alonso has improved once more and now has the fastest time of the weekend so far. 

A 1m29.560s puts him 0.327s clear of the Red Bulls. 

Perez and Verstappen have completed another run and go second and third respectively. 

Perez is just 0.041s down on Alonso, with Verstappen a further 0.010s back. Super close. 

Alonso now goes fastest on a 1m29.846s on the medium compound. That is just two tenths slower than Verstappen's session-leading time from FP1. 

After the opening runs of FP2, it's Perez who is the fastest Red Bull driver. 

He pips teammate Verstappen by just 0.020s with a 1m30.427s. 

Alonso sits third, as Ricciardo slots his RB into fourth ahead of the second Aston Martin of Stroll. 

Bottas has just gone for a spin down at Turn 1.

The Sauber driver managed to avoid the barriers and continues on his way without further drama. 

FP2 will begin at 5.10pm UK time. 

It has emerged that the reason for the delay is so that Race Control can check the circuit for potential loose bolts for drain covers in the pit lane. 

Race control have just announced that the start of FP2 has been delayed. No reason has been given. 

For now, the focus returns to on-track matters and second practice. 

This night session will be much more representative than FP1, which took place during the day and was topped by Red Bull's Max Verstappen. 

Fernando Alonso wasn't too far behind as he split the Red Bulls in his Aston Martin. 

Will anybody outpace the Red Bulls in FP2?