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Red Bull Claim Second 1-2 Finish On The Streets Of Jeddah

By Robert Haile

It is back to back 1-2 finishes as Max Verstappen won with Sergio Perez in second as Red Bull continued to dominate in Saudi Arabia.

Verstappen took his first ever Pole Position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday, March 8, and provided a comfortable win with Perez second even with a five second penalty for an unsafe release.

Ferrari completed the podium with Charles Leclerc taking third ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Race winner Verstappen said: “It was a special one today. These kind of days don’t happen that often where the car feels spot on, including the balance and feeling of the car and everything went really well.

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia – Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

After an early Safety Car on lap seven was brought out by Lance Stroll as he crashed his Aston Martin into the barriers.

A lot of the teams split the drivers strategies with some pitting while others stayed out for longer stints.

The only surviving Aston Martin took fifth with Fernando Alonso as Mercedes George Russell led home the Brits in sixth.

Debut driver Oliver Bearman took an impressive seventh for Ferrari as Carlos Sainz had been ruled out with appendicitis.

Lando Norris finished eighth for McLaren as Lewis Hamilton claimed ninth for Mercedes with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg taking the final point in tenth after being help by teammate Kevin Magnussen as he slowed the field down as he pitted.

Williams Alex Albon missed out in eleventh with Magnussen in twelfth after receiving two ten second penalties and the remaining Alpine of Esteban Ocon in thirteenth.

Logan Sargeant’s Williams finished fourteenth with RB’ Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo behind him in fifteenth and sixteenth, as Tsunoda received a five second penalty for an unsafe release.

It was a poor race for Kick Sauber as Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were the last of the runners in seventeenth and eighteenth.

The two drivers not to finish both went early in the race with Stroll’s Aston Martin crashing while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly reported gear box issues on the formation lap.

Formula One heads down under on March 22-24 with the Australian Grand Prix.

Drivers Championship

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 51
  2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 36
  3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 28
  4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 18
  5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 16
  6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 15
  7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 12
  8. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 12
  9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 8
  10. Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) – 7
  11. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) – 1
  12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 1
  13. Alex Albon (Williams) – 0
  14. Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) – 0
  15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) – 0
  16. Daniel Ricciardo (RB) – 0
  17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) – 0
  18. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) – 0
  19. Logan Sargent (Williams) – 0
  20. Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) – 0
  21. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 0

Constructors Championship

  1. Red Bull – 87
  2. Ferrari – 49
  3. McLaren – 28
  4. Mercedes – 26
  5. Aston Martin – 13
  6. Haas – 1
  7. Williams – 0
  8. Kick Sauber – 0
  9. RB – 0
  10. Alpine – 0