F1 Practice Today: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix results - Ferrari rookie Bearman IMPRESSES

Max Verstappen set the fastest time in the final practice session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but the biggest story of the afternoon was the surprise presence of Oliver Bearman.

The young Brit was drafted in to replace Carlos Sainz, who was diagnosed with appendicitis and was whisked off to hospital for surgery.

Already in a tough spot with no preparation time, Bearman's one hour of running was cut short when Zhou Guanyu smashed into the barriers at turn seven, writing off nearly 15 minutes of the session under a red flag.

Zhou wasn't the only driver to damage his car in the session, with Logan Sargeant clipping the wall on the inside of a corner and damaging his left front - telling his engineers he was unable to turn left.

READ MORE: F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weather forecast - Wind could trouble drivers in hot and sticky conditions

F1 FP3 Results: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024

1. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - 1:28.412sec

2. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +0.196sec

3. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +0.494sec

4. George Russell [Mercedes] - +0.552sec

5. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +0.559sec

6. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +0.626sec

7. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - +0.715sec

8. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +0.801sec

9. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +0.856sec

10. Oliver Bearman [Ferrari] - +0.894sec

11. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +1.073sec

12. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +1.134sec

13. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] - +1.160sec

14. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +1.163sec

15. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] - +1.263sec

16. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB] - +1.328sec

17. Alex Albon [Williams] - +1.396sec

18. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber] - +1.671sec

19. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber] - +2.327sec

20. Logan Sargeant [Williams] - No Time

How does F1 Qualifying work?

The 60-minute qualifying session is split into three finite windows which provides a dramatic prelude to Saturday's big race.

The bottom five drivers are eliminated at the end of Q1, with a further five eliminated after Q2.

Then Q3 gives us a shootout between the remaining 10 drivers in the battle for positions at the front of the grid.

READ MORE: F1 Driver Salaries: How much do Hamilton, Verstappen and co earn?