F1 Saudi Arabia

The drivers and teams report back on all the action from the second race of the season, the Formula 1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 2022...

”We were trying to fight our way into the points at the end and I went for the move with Lance. He made a strong defence and unfortunately, we made contact. At the end of the race we were pretty quick, it’s just about trying to make the car more consistent and predictable.” I had made a good recovery from P18 and we were looking strong to bring home some points again, but the drive-through put us far at the back and that was it. I was a little bit faster during the race and so I made the overtake and I had to watch out for Bottas as well. I feel fit but car preservation is important if we want to be racing in Melbourne, but we have the pace and that’s all that matters. The performance gaps seemed to be similar in qualifying and the race, and clearly there is a lot of work for us to do in order to get into the fight at the front. We got the car in a nice window and I was pushing as hard as I could, it was probably the most physical race I’ve experienced in F1, 50 laps at the limit on a fast street circuit – I just want to be doing it fighting for victory. We have a clearer picture of where and what we need to improve and we have a direction to follow. "He was fast in the straights and I was fast in the corners. The end result isn’t great but the race was going relatively well, I was struggling with tyre temperatures at the beginning but then I started to gain on the cars ahead on the Medium tyre, it was a really good stint. At first, it was a virtual safety car so I was going to lose a position and then under the safety car I lost out to Carlos too. It was a bit of a shame I couldn’t get Carlos at the end to be on the podium but I didn’t get the chance.

The weekend had been dominated by a missile strike that hit Jeddah on Friday, 10 miles from the circuit, and almost resulted in a driver boycott of the race.

“I am so happy that everyone is safe, I am just looking forward to getting out. “I am so happy the weekend is done,” he said. With distaste at the regime’s appalling human rights record and fears for the safety of their teams, it took a four-hour meeting on Friday night before the drivers were ultimately placated and persuaded to race.

Serious questions about the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix must be addressed before the sport can return following a missile attack near the F1 circuit this week.

Then we had the yellow flag, the one where I could have had a chance to be alongside into Turn 1, I had no DRS there, a bit of a shame, but it's part of the game. Based on the past two races and the comparative pace of their two cars, Formula One fans ought to get used to the idea of Verstappen and Leclerc fighting for wins. Drivers have already agreed to discuss the future of the race with F1 in the coming weeks, and hopefully talks can be productive. "It's obviously disappointing to lose the win so late in the race but it was a fun fight," Leclerc said. F1's drivers met for over four hours to discuss the safety of the event. It was a strange F1 race weekend, with the 48 hours before the race dominated by a missile attack on an oil depot just 10km from the circuit.

It is clear the drivers do not like being here and a Houthi missile strike on Friday further exposed the perils for sports engaging with questionable ...

And all in the name of sport. But out of it he was clearly agitated and uncomfortable at being asked to race here. Good luck getting him and others to commit again to this degree of stress and peril. Hamilton said the events leading up to qualifying had no bearing on the outcome. The decision to come here was always controversial given the kingdom’s human rights record and antediluvian mores. JEDDAH — My bulletins from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were the first I have sent from a temporary ceasefire zone.

Daniel Ricciardo's first points finish for 2022 will have to wait after the Australian's engine failed in Saudi Arabia.

The Ferrari driver said he was disappointed not to hold on for consecutive wins, but was full of praise for his rival. The Dutchman made his first move on lap 42, only for the Ferrari to overtake him the following lap. The Australian was the first driver to come into the pits after lap 8, putting on hard tyres to see him to the end of the 50-lap race. Perez pitted one lap before the safety car, sending him out of sync with the rest of the drivers who pitted after the crash while everyone had to slow down. Ricciardo had produced a very good race, rising from 14th to ninth, and looked set to score his first points of the year. - Daniel Ricciardo has failed to score points in the opening two rounds of the season

As the five lights went out in Jeddah, the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix got under way – with Sergio Perez nailing the start from his first ever pole ...