Verstappen secured his 56th win in Formula 1, extending his winning streak to nine consecutive victories including last season. He dominated the race and comfortably crossed the finish line in first place.
Red Bull’s triumph in Jeddah also marked their 115th victory in Formula 1, surpassing Williams. They currently rank fourth in terms of total wins, behind Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari.
After finishing second to Perez in Saudi Arabia last year, Verstappen sought redemption and emerged victorious this time. In his post-race comments, he expressed satisfaction with his performance and praised the team’s efforts.
Perez acknowledged the progress made during the race and regretted starting outside the front row. Despite a strong start, he was unable to overtake Charles Leclerc and engage in a thrilling battle.
Leclerc celebrated his first podium finish of the season and acknowledged that the Ferrari was no match for the Red Bulls but superior to the rest of the field. This result indicates that Ferrari is currently stuck in a middle position, chasing the top teams while being pursued by the others.
Leclerc reflected on the challenging nature of the race track, highlighting the physical demands and the enjoyment of driving on it.
In a remarkable debut, Oliver Bearman, who substituted for Carlos Sainz, impressed with a seventh-place finish, earning the title of Driver of the Day.
Behind the top three, Oscar Piastri secured fourth place for McLaren, successfully fending off Fernando Alonso in the Alpine. George Russell and the exceptional Bearman followed closely behind.
Lando Norris, in the other McLaren, put up a strong fight against his compatriot, opting for a different strategy by skipping a pit stop. However, he ultimately finished eighth, with Lewis Hamilton in ninth place closely trailing him during the final stint.
Nico Hulkenberg secured the final point in tenth place for Haas, thanks to a strategic team effort and Kevin Magnussen receiving penalties from the FIA Race Stewards.
The next race, the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, will take place on March 24th as Round 3 of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship.
Report in progress…
Gasly encountered difficulties at the beginning as troubles plagued Alpine. He managed to make it to the starting point, but was instructed to park the vehicle shortly after commencing. This marked the first retirement of the 2024 season.
Norris had a shaky start. Although an investigation took place, no further action was taken.
Verstappen had a superb start, with Perez posing a real challenge to Leclerc at Turn 1 and during the initial corners before Leclerc maintained second place.
Behind the leading trio, Piastri managed to overtake Alonso and secure fourth position, indicating that the Aston Martin performed better in qualifying than in the actual race. The only other change in the top ten was Stroll moving up to ninth place and Tsunoda dropping down a spot.
On Lap 4, Perez successfully overtook Leclerc, resulting in the Red Bulls occupying the top two positions, with Verstappen leading by 2.4 seconds and setting the fastest laps.
The accident that Mika Hakkinen predicted in his Jeddah preview turned out to be accurate. On Lap 7, a safety car was deployed after Stroll’s Aston Martin collided with the walls at Turn 22, causing significant damage to the AMR2.
This triggered a series of pit stops, leading to a bustling and busy pitlane. The closest incident occurred when Perez crossed paths with Alonso, which was subsequently investigated by the FIA Race Stewards. Perez later received a 5-second penalty for the incident. Norris remained behind the Safety Car and held the lead, while Verstappen, with fresh tires, closely followed.
Hamilton also chose not to pit and found himself in third place. Hulkenberg (P8) and Zhou (P10) also stayed out.
The restart saw Norris make a good getaway, with Verstappen tucked in behind him. Hamilton acted as a buffer between Verstappen and Perez in fourth place, with Leclerc trailing behind the Red Bull. Alonso had dropped to seventh place, chasing Piastri.
On lap 12, Verstappen regained the lead as he overtook Norris. Perez followed suit and took third place from Hamilton, resulting in the Red Bulls once again occupying the top two positions. Verstappen had a 3.7-second lead over his teammate.
Leclerc managed to overtake Hamilton on Lap 15, moving up to fourth place on the track and third place overall, just a couple of seconds behind Perez, right as the Stewards announced the 5-second penalty for an unsafe release. Shortly after, Magnussen received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Albon.
The experienced Haas driver received another 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during a battle with Tsunoda. At the same time, Piastri was closing in on Hamilton for fifth place, while Leclerc focused on overtaking Norris.
In an impressive display, newcomer Bearman found himself in ninth place on Lap 20, outshining Tsunoda and engaging in a fierce battle with veteran Hulkenberg. The Ferrari managed to overtake on Lap 22.
At this juncture, Verstappen held a six-second lead over Perez. Non-stopping Norris followed closely, with Leclerc trailing four seconds behind the second Red Bull driver.
Piastri had his sights set on fifth place, with Hamilton in his sights. And for the next twelve laps, the McLaren was faster but the Mercedes proved to be stubborn, refusing to make a pit stop at the halfway point.
By lap 25, Verstappen extended his lead to seven seconds over Perez in second place, with Leclerc a further eight seconds behind in third place after overtaking Norris, who was still on his original set of tires.
The battle for a single point intensified on Lap 30. Hulkenberg was pursued by the fiercely competitive group of Zhou, Ocon, Magnussen, Tsunoda, and Alnon, constantly swapping positions.
K-Mag adopted an ultra-defensive strategy, allowing Hulkenberg to gain an advantage while a queue formed behind the Haas car.
Hulkenberg made his first pit stop on lap 35. Meanwhile, Piastri and Hamilton were closer than ever, with the McLaren attempting to overtake but ultimately failing as the Mercedes defended its position.
Hamilton was called into the pits on Lap 36 for his first stop, receiving a set of Soft tires. Norris followed suit a lap later and also emerged with Soft tires.
The top six drivers were all on aging Hard tires, while Norris (in eighth place) and Hamilton (in ninth place) were on Soft tires, showcasing their speed as the fastest cars on the track at that point.
By Lap 40, the podium positions remained unchanged, with Verstappen leading by 8.5 seconds, followed by Perez in second place, and Leclerc a further 12 seconds behind in third place. Piastri trailed five seconds behind in fourth place, followed closely by Alonso, with Russell 1.2 seconds behind the Aston Martin.
Bearman continued to perform admirably in seventh place, trailing Russell by six seconds, while Norris closed in four seconds behind.
Zhou’s race was compromised by his team when he made a pit stop after an exceptionally long stint, only to receive poor service. He emerged last, behind his Sauber teammate Bottas.
In contrast, Bearman responded to the pressure from Norris and Hamilton by utilizing softer and fresher tires. The rookie displayed an outstanding performance, showcasing strong pace when it mattered most.
With five laps remaining, Verstappen maintained an eight-second lead. Behind him, the positions remained stagnant, except for Hamilton’s persistent attempts to overtake Norris, which proved futile.
Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the fourth edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, crossing the finish line 13.6 seconds ahead of his competitors. Perez finished in second place, five seconds ahead of Leclerc. The gap between the winning Red Bull and the closest Ferrari was 18.6 seconds.
Max Verstappen secures his ninth consecutive win 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
The chequered flag is waved in Jeddah 🏁#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/fzmc1zFRNA
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 9, 2024
The report on the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will replace this preview after the race concludes. Please refresh this page for the updated version. Enjoy the race!
Who can defeat Max? No one. Not a single driver possesses the combination of skills and speed to match Verstappen. Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez has faced difficulties and once again finished three-tenths of a second slower than the #1 car in Saudi Qualifying, securing the third position. However, both drivers will start side by side on tonight’s starting grid.
Anticipate them dominating the race with a one-two finish, just as they did last year and in Bahrain last week. Anything less than a one-two for the World Champions will be disappointing, considering the significant advantage they hold. This advantage is comparable to last year, if not slightly greater due to the benchmark-raising RB20.
With no one capable of stopping Verstappen, what can? Force Majeure, of course, unforeseen circumstances beyond his control. For instance, a misguided pit call, a mishap during a pit stop, mechanical failure, or an incident. Prior to the race in high-speed Jeddah, F1 double World Champion Mika Hakkinen predicted “Safety Cars and accidents” for tonight. We sincerely hope the latter does not occur.
Starting in the second position on the front row alongside Max, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will challenge the Red Bulls. Carlos Sainz is unable to participate due to appendicitis, allowing 18-year-old Briton Oliver Bearman to make his F1 debut. Despite having less than an hour in the car, the teenager performed admirably, nearly outperforming Lewis Hamilton to reach Q3. Ponder upon that…
Bearman will become F1’s 776th driver and the 112th driver to represent the Red Ferrari in the top tier of racing. He is in for a challenging experience, amidst a highly competitive midfield, starting in the 11th position for his first Grand Prix.
Good old Fernando Alonso. Give the Spaniard a decent car, and he can work wonders, as he demonstrated on Friday by securing the third position on the grid for his 380th GP start. On a side note, an incredible statistic is that the 42-year-old Spaniard won his home race in Barcelona on May 8, 2005, the same day Bearman was born.
Behind the Perez-Alonso veteran front row, young talents fill the McLaren duo positions. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will start in the fifth and sixth positions, setting the stage for potential chaos and an exciting first lap.
The following row is occupied entirely by the Silver & Black duo, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton struggling with their unstable Mercedes. Additionally, their race pace may be inferior to their qualifying performance. This could be a challenging night for the German team.