Another race weekend has passed in Formula One with the conclusion of the Saudi Arabian GP. Race week two brought exciting action and great racing around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to keep fans on the edge of their seats as well as more concrete data to view how the season may unfold further.
The Weekend
This weekend began with some fascinating practice sessions on the few days prior to the grand prix itself. Although, as expected, Verstappen held strong times through all three sessions, it was Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin who took many by surprise. He finished with the second-best time of the session in FP1 before finding some blistering pace in FP2, taking him to the top of the timesheet. He capped off his pre-race driving with a very solid P4 in qualifying, placing him in prime position to do some real damage to the race leaders when the lights went out on Saturday.
Most of the discussions around the paddock heading into this iteration of the Saudi GP were focused on Carlos Sainz’s departure from FP2. The Ferrari driver was unfortunately diagnosed with appendicitis, forcing him out from behind the wheel and into surgery just hours later. This unlucky incident allowed for an opportune moment to arise for young Formula 2 star Oliver Bearman. The young Brit has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since the age of 16. Now, just two years later at 18 years old, Bearman was given the chance to show his racing prowess in the scarlet red of the Ferrari livery under the lights in Jeddah.
The Race
It was all action at the beginning of the grand prix with a plethora of moves being attempted in the opening corner of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, qualifying in both P2 and P3 respectively, frantically chased after the race leader and pole position holder Max Verstappen. They ran alongside each other into the first corner before Leclerc dispatched the Mexican driver, maintaining P2. Lando Norris, beginning in P6, very obviously jumped the start but finished the race without a penalty for his actions.
Perez and Leclerc battled through the first laps of the race, with the Ferrari driver finally succumbing to the Red Bull’s superior speed in Lap 4. The race was unable to develop much further as Lance Stroll of Aston Martin put his car into the barriers after a brush with the wall partway into Lap 6. A safety car was deployed, setting the stage for a rush to the pits for many drivers as they attempted to complete their one required stop throughout this period. In doing so, drivers who pitted so early were determined to make it to the final 40 laps with the single set of hard compound tires they were now using.
The safety car was a massive shake-up for the remainder of the race as the 20-car grid was completely switched up after it came in on Lap 10. Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, running in P6 and P8 respectively prior to the safety car, decided to stay out of the pitlane and resumed the race in P1 and P3. On older tires and still in need of a pit stop, this strategy ultimately proved costly. The McLaren driver finished in a relatively well-fought P8 with his British compatriot Hamilton finishing just behind in P9.
Coming out of the safety car, veteran driver Kevin Magnussen of Haas was given a 10-second time penalty for cutting off Alex Albon of Williams going into the first corner. Verstappen, who rejoined the race in P2 after his pit stop during the safety car, made light work of Lando Norris who eventually gave P1 back to the two-time world champion on Lap 13. In the same turn, Sergio Perez, who was running in P4 since the restart, overtook Lewis Hamilton to make it two Red Bull overtakes within a couple of seconds.
Although the front of the pack was relatively quiet throughout the rest of the race, the mid-table runners were really creating a racing spectacle. With very little separation between a train of cars running from P12 through P16, overtake attempts were occurring fast and often. Magnussen, running in P12 with his 10-second time penalty, was tasked with the job of holding off the rest of the pack for his Haas teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, running in P10 15 seconds further up the road.
In valiantly defending his teammate and helping to open the gap, Magnussen managed to pick up another, although controversial, 10-second time penalty. With his grand prix virtually over, the Danish Viking held the line of cars and gave his race for his team, helping Haas and Hulkenberg secure a vital point in the Constructors’ Championship.
Ollie Bearman put on a fantastic performance for much of the race weekend. Although never having held the wheel of an F1 car prior to FP3 of the Friday before the race, Bearman qualified in an impressive P11. The young phenom missed out on Q3 and the elimination of the great Lewis Hamilton from qualifying by less than a tenth of a second. He raced extremely well in the Grand Prix, battling for every position and barely putting a foot wrong. This impressive effort earned Bearman a well-deserved P7 finish and the respect of many in the world of the sport.
The Reaction
Although Red Bull put on another dominating 1-2 performance, this race was far from the lackluster action we saw in the opening race weekend. Leclerc finished in a solid P3 after battling back from a poor pit stop during the safety car to round out the podium places. It was his teammate, Oliver Bearman, however, who took the racing series by storm with his remarkable racing skill and showcase of talent. The Ferrari academy prospect marked his place in F1 with a performance beyond his racing years.
Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso both quietly had great racing weekends, finishing P4 and P5 respectively. While the Spanish driver did not capitalize on his earlier sessions in FP1 and FP2, he certainly had a solid showing for a struggling Aston Martin team. Piastri was able to salvage some points for McLaren who also found it difficult to find their best form in Saudi Arabia.
Mercedes will once again walk away disappointed in their race pace. They were unable to keep up with the teams they are trying to challenge for places and overall had a difficult time in Jeddah. Qualifying found Russel in P7 and Hamilton in P8 and they did not finish much better, with Hamilton falling a place and Russel gaining one. They will be expected to address their issues with the week off and hope to be back in contention when F1 resumes in Australia.
The racing in the lower half of the grid was great. Haas used the safety car to their advantage, crafting a savvy strategy that helped them to gain their first point of the year. Hulkenberg stayed out of the pitlane during the safety car, jumping from P14 to P8. His teammate, Magnussen, pitted for new tires, rejoining the race in P13. As the race developed, Hulkenberg lost grip with his medium compound tires but maintained positions inside the top 10. Meanwhile, Magnussen slowed down the rest of the drivers, putting on a defensive masterclass and creating a wide enough gap for Hulkenberg to eventually complete his mandatory pitstop and still come out in front of Magnussen’s pack. Haas fans will hope that this performance will just be the start of an era pushing for better races, better results, and more points.
While the first race weekend was carried by the excitement of a new season, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix certainly helped to keep that enthusiasm high. As Australia dawns closer, I am only more eager to see what else this historical season has to offer.
