Red Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen was fastest in first practice for the Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix on Thursday as he again ignored the controversy engulfing his team.
The Dutchman, who won the season opener in Bahrain last weekend to extend his huge dominance of the sport, set a quickest lap of 1 minute 29.659 seconds.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso of Spain was 0.186 seconds behind and Mexican Red Bull driver Sergio Perez 0.209 slower in third.
Verstappen has continued to shine despite team principal Christian Horner being under pressure following an investigation into his conduct with a female employee.
The Briton was cleared by the team before the Bahrain race but more unproven allegations have come out in the press. There has also been a war of words with Verstappen's father Jos, who has said the team could explode if Horner remains as team principal.
His son said on Wednesday that his father "is not a liar," leaving Horner even further exposed.
To further complicate matters, the PA news agency said on Thursday that Horner’s original accuser has been suspended by Red Bull.
A second practice session takes place on Thursday, with third practice and qualifying on Friday before Saturday's race on the street track by the sea in Jeddah.
Several drivers complained their cars were "bouncing" during first practice.