Clearly. Dry. Air +26C, highway +32C
In 2023, the podium in Jeddah did not promise much intrigue. Max Verstappen took the lead in practice on Friday and Saturday. It seemed that he would confidently win qualifying, but there were problems with the drive – the car lost power and the current champion fell out of contention.
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff joked on Saturday that Red Bull deliberately took him out of the race so that Max would win the race by starting 15th.
Sergio Perez continued the work his partner had started and confidently won the qualification. He was only one and a half tenths ahead of Charles Leclerc, but the Monegask lost ten places at the start already in the second stage due to the replacement of the electronic engine control unit.
The starting field turned out to be unusual. Perez and Alonso started the race from the front row, Russell (who overtook Hamilton for the second time in a row) and Sainz from second. Hike and Okon – from the third.
Pirelli brought the “middle” trio of compositions on the podium – C2, C3 and C4 in the role of Hard, Medium and Soft, hoping to see the strategy of one pit stop with Hard and Medium, but tire manufacturers’ expectations come rarely out, especially on such an unpredictable track as Jeddah.
In the race, Leclerc and Norris started on Soft, Hamilton and Sargent on Hard, the rest chose Medium for the first stint.
At the start, Alonso was ahead of Perez and took the lead. Stroll stayed ahead of Sainz, Leclair gained three positions back. Piastri damaged the front wing in the fight with Gasly and went into the pits for repairs.
The race directors told the stewards that Alonso had positioned the car incorrectly at the start and they gave the Spaniard a five-second penalty.
Top ten in round 2: Alonso – Perez – Russell – Stroll – Sainz – Ocon – Hamilton – Gasly – Leclerc – Zhou.
On lap 3, Norris changed the tyres. By lap 4, Perez was ahead of Alonso and retook the race lead.
On lap 6, Hulkenberg was ahead of Magnussen in the battle for 12th position – de Haas asked Kevin to let his partner pass.
On lap 7, Leclerc overtook Gasly for eighth.
On lap 8, Verstappen, who started 15th, overtook Zhou and moved up to tenth position.
On lap 9, Leclerc overtook Hamilton for eighth. Magnussen changed tires.
On lap 10, Bottas pitted.
On lap 12, Verstappen overtook Hamilton for eighth. Zhou and Hulkenberg swapped tires.
On lap 13, Leclerc passed Okon to move up to sixth.
Top ten in round 14: Perez – Alonso – Russell – Stroll – Sainz – Leclerc – Windows – Verstappen – Hamilton – Gasley.
On lap 15 Stroll and Gasly pitted, Verstappen was ahead of Okon.
On the 16th lap Sainz changed tires, on the 17th – Leclerc and Ocon.
On lap 18, Lance Stroll stopped the car in turn 13 on command from the pits. The safety car drove off. Tsunoda, Albon, de Vries, Bottas, Perez, Alonso, Russell, Verstappen, Hamilton, Sargent, Zhou changed tires.
Top ten behind the safety car: Perez – Alonso – Russell – Verstappen – Sainz – Hamilton – Leclerc – Tsunoda – Ramen – Gasley.
Norris pitted on lap 20.
A restart was announced on the 21st lap. Perez kept the lead. Hülkenberg stayed ahead of Elbon.
On lap 22, Hamilton overtook Sainz for fifth.
On lap 24, Verstappen overtook Russell to move up to third. Okon – Tsunoda in the battle for eighth place.
On lap 25, Verstappen overtook Alonso for second place.
On lap 26, Gasly passed Tsunoda for ninth. Norris – Piastri for 17th.
Top ten in round 27: Perez – Verstappen – Alonso – Russell – Hamilton – Sainz – Leclerc – Windows – Tsunoda – Gasley.
On lap 27 Albon’s car lost speed, he turned into the pits and stopped.
On lap 36, Hulkenberg hit the barrier with his right rear wheel, but kept going. Bottas has changed tires.
On lap 38, Zhou overtook Sargent for 13th.
On lap 42, De Vries overtook Sargent for 14th.
On lap 46, Magnussen overtook Tsunoda for tenth.
In round 49, Norris was asked to let Piastri go so his partner could try to force a fight on Sargent.
==
Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with his fifth career victory. Max Verstappen finished second – Red Bull Racing’s second consecutive double victory. Fernando Alonso finished the race in third, achieving his 100th career podium finish.
The battle continues in Melbourne in two weeks.
Racing results
| Pilot | Team | Time | Speed | Pete |
| 1. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1 | ||
| 2. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | +5,355 | 1 | |
| 3. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | +20,728 | 1 | |
| 4.D Russell | Mercedes | +25,866 | 1 | |
| 5. L Hamilton | Mercedes | +31.055 | 1 | |
| 6. K. Sainz | Ferrari | +35,876 | 1 | |
| 7. Sch. Leclerc | Ferrari | +43,162 | 1 | |
| 8. E. Okon | Alps | +52,832 | 1 | |
| 9.P Gasly | Alps | +54,747 | 1 | |
| 10. K. Magnussen | hare | +64,826 | 1 | |
| 11. Y. Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +67,494 | 1 | |
| 12. N. Hulkenberg | hare | +70,588 | 1 | |
| 13. G. Zhou | Alfa Romeo | +76,060 | 2 | |
| 14.N. deVries | AlphaTauri | +77,478 | 1 | |
| 15. O. Piastri | McLaren | +85.021 | 1 | |
| 16. L. Sargent | Willems | +86,293 | 1 | |
| 17. L. Norris | McLaren | +86,445 | 2 | |
| 18. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +1 circle | 3 |
best round: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 1:31.906 (lap 50)
Reasons for leaving
| Pilot | Team | circles | Cause |
| L. Stroll | Aston Martin | 18 | mechanical problems |
| A. Elbon | Willems | 28 | brakes |
Championship position : Individual
Championship Position: Constructors’ Championship
| Team | engine | Glasses | |
| = | 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing | Honda RBPT | 87 |
| = | 2. Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | Mercedes | 38 |
| = | 3. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team | Mercedes | 38 |
| = | 4 Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 26 |
 |
5. BWT Alpine F1 Team | Renault | 8 |
 |
6. Alfa Romeo F1 Team bet | Ferrari | 4 |
| = | 7Williams Racing | Mercedes | 1 |
| = | 8. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | Ferrari | 1 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
