2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Another Formula 1 race in 2023, another Red Bull 1-2, but this time with Sergio Perez leading recovering team-mate Max Verstappen. Behind, there was penalty ...

The likeable Japanese racer edged new team-mate [Nyck de Vries](https://www.autosport.com/driver/nyck-de-vries/841508/) in Bahrain, then so nearly and brilliantly claimed a point in Jeddah. Only the Dane’s considerable bravery thrusting his Haas’s nose to Turn 1’s inside (actually in defence given he’d passed Tsunoda at the final corner seconds before) ended their battle. Norris did not after making a poor error glancing the wall at the final corner and damaging his steering on the way to a Q1 exit. Getting very fortunate timing around the safety car period aided Tsunoda, as he was the first driver in a position to pit when it started. To have that many spectators and television viewers unaware of the subsequent change, had it been upheld, created a considerable fuss. This was because Aston’s rear jack man touched Alonso’s AMR23 before the five-second hold he had to serve at his pitstop as a result of his grid infraction had been completed – similar circumstances to But that shouldn’t detract from the fine start Russell has made to his second Mercedes season. Although Alonso’s second penalty was later overturned, the brief results swing that meant Russell unexpectedly had to show up for the post-race press conference highlighted that for the second year in a row he is starting a season strongly compared to Hamilton. "[I’m] a bit surprised because after Friday and before the weekend, I thought that we had a chance of being the second force here in Jeddah," said Sainz. Aston, for the second race in succession, did not. But, it was a somewhat different story from Bahrain, as – for the first time in their time as team-mate’s – Perez took the top spot with Verstappen just one step down. Here are the 10 things we learned from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Sergio Perez held his nerve when it counted the most to lead home Max Verstappen and take a hard-earned fifth Formula 1 win from pole position.

Leclerc had passed Hamilton without much problem on lap nine, but now lost the position and was powerless on the hard tyre to regain it. The rear jack was in contact with the green car before the time was served – and that earned Alonso another ten-second penalty that knocked him down to fourth. Both red cars stopped before Stroll pulled off, Leclerc because he’d started on the soft tyre in an effort to aid his climb up the field, while Sainz was among the earliest stoppers on the medium. But like the two Red Bulls and Mercedes, Alonso took advantage of the Stroll safety car to make his single pitstop, took his penalty and then his hard-compound Pirellis and was still able to re-join second – much to the chasing Russell’s frustration. The FIA was forced to U-turn and Alonso had his 100th podium back. But inevitably he was soon in a rhythm and methodically began to slice his way through the pack without breaking a sweat. He lined up 12th having qualified second to Perez, with Sainz on the second row beside Russell. He outraced the seven-time champion too, despite Hamilton running an alternative tyre strategy that should have given him a performance advantage in the second half of the grand prix. The Spaniard cleverly used the strong DRS tow at this track to keep Perez in range for a while, but the lead was never really in doubt. But by now Perez was five seconds up the road, with no intention of ceding. Once Verstappen was out of the picture during Q2, Perez had little trouble securing his second pole and second consecutive at the fast Jeddah Corniche circuit. The consensus was he could, and he very nearly did – only for Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez to hold his nerve when it counted the most as the Mexican scored a hard-earned fifth Formula 1 win from pole position.

No perfect scores again but plenty of star performers to choose from under the night sky at the 2023 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a display in utter dominance from a Red Bull team who appear to have built one of the all-time great F1 race cars.

While he will aspire to significantly higher results, considering the struggles his team are currently enduring, P4 was a fine result. He was unperturbed when his advantage was wiped out by a Safety Car and impressively absorbed late pressure from Verstappen to take his first win of the season. [READ MORE: What the teams said – Race day in Saudi Arabia](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.what-the-teams-said-race-day-in-saudi-arabia-2023.4DF97QtPcqiTtB5N7C3r4Z.html) [READ MORE: ‘There wasn’t much more in the car’ – Leclerc calls on Ferrari to improve ‘a lot’ after distant P7 finish in Jeddah](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.there-wasnt-much-more-in-the-car-leclerc-calls-on-ferrari-to-improve-a-lot.2nFZlLICRc2HxQ1wPmeZfX.html) While that made for a frustrating race for some rivals, there were shoots of hope for others. [READ MORE: FIA to issue rule clarification ahead of Australian Grand Prix after Alonso podium drama in Jeddah](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.fia-to-issue-rule-clarification-ahead-of-australian-grand-prix-after-alonso.5FUrjmGaw3vY9vQ3tX3zmP.html) [READ MORE: ‘I am happy in the end with the result’ – Alonso relieved after 100th career podium reinstated in Jeddah](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-alonso-loses-p3-and-100th-f1-podium-after-receiving-10s-penalty-in.4QbFJtlN8sUWqQXt4jJmmR.html) He led the opening lap of a Grand Prix for the first time in close to 11 years when he nipped past Perez into Turn 1 and kept a level head when told he had a five-second time penalty for starting the race out of position in his grid slot. [READ MORE: ‘I am not here to finish second’ – Verstappen calls on Red Bull to solve reliability gremlins that plagued team in Jeddah](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.i-am-not-here-to-finish-second-verstappen-calls-on-red-bull-to-solve.6fH3P77K6PPxLArLWfVAQS.html) The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a display in utter dominance from a Red Bull team who appear to have built one of the all-time great F1 race cars. That’s the first time he’s won a race with Verstappen in second place, and with his fifth career victory adding to a second place in the opening race, he sits second in the drivers’ championship, just a point adrift of Verstappen. [HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from a thrilling Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Perez leads a Red Bull 1-2](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.highlights-watch-the-action-from-a-thrilling-saudi-arabian-grand-prix-as.olTD2Qkd67JhLRbF19ruw.html)

Red Bull were dominant in an extremely eventful Grand Prix on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

[Ferrari](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/07/04/formula-1/1077159-austrian-gp-2021-five-talking-points.html) had a truly disappointing weekend in Jeddah as it started off with a ten second grid penalty to [Charles Leclerc](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/07/18/formula-1/1078542-2021-british-gp-report-hamilton-brings-it-home-on-penalties.html). [McLaren ](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2023/02/17/formula-1/1138077-how-do-we-rate-the-2023-f1-liveries.html)have not had the results that they have wanted throughout the first two races of the 2023 season. [Lance Stroll ](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/06/19/formula-1/1075390-2021-french-gp-max-verstappen-takes-pole-for-the-french-grand-prix-ahead-of-lewis-hamilton.html)had an unfortunate DNF in Jeddah, but he has shown what he can do at the Bahrain Grand Prix. [Carlos Sainz ](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/05/24/formula-1/1072470-2021-monaco-gp-talking-points.html)had a qualifying that does not meet the reputation of the Scuderia. [Zak Brown,](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2017/02/24/formula1/758678-mclaren-f1-2017-season-preview.html) Andrea Stella and the whole of McLaren will be working very hard to succeed. Next race is exciting as Formula 1 are hosting the Alphatauri are struggling in this years [Formula One](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/06/03/formula-1/1073510-2021-azebajian-gp-preview-can-red-bull-maintain-the-gap-at-the-top.html) world championship with zero points scored in the first two races. After the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Alphatauri are placed 9th in the constructors championship with zero points under their belt. Tsunoda finished 11th in Jeddah, stepping up his game just like the Alphatauri team principal, Franz Tost has publicly told him to. Here are four key points that we learnt from this exciting [Grand Prix.](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2023/03/19/formula-1/1141255-verstappen-says-he-is-not-here-to-be-second-after-perez-wins-in-saudi-arabia.html) [Haas ](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/06/21/formula-1/1075618-france-gp-2021-five-talking-points.html)driver, [Kevin Magnussen](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2022/03/27/formula1/1106540-verstappen-wins-dispute-with-leclerc-and-wins-saudi-arabian-gp.html). [McLaren](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/06/25/formula-1/1076108-2021-styrian-grand-prix-fp2-verstappen-quickest-as-bottas-spins-in-pit-lane.html) struggled and [Aston Martin](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/05/23/formula-1/1072382-2021-monaco-gp-driver-ratings.html) look unstoppable behind the [Red Bull](https://www.vavel.com/en/motorsports/2021/07/02/formula-1/1076859-2021-austrian-grand-prix-fp2-hamilton-stuns-verstappen.html) pairing of Verstappen and Perez.

The second race of the 2023 Formula 1 season is in the books. And it felt a lot like the first race. Once again Red Bull locked out the front row, ...

Both Piastri and Norris endured some front wing damage early in the race, which forced both McLaren drivers to pit early and give up position on the track. “After beginning the race with hopes of scoring points, we had both cars at the back of the pack after the first lap and we come away from Jeddah empty-handed. Hamilton did struggle early in the race as one of the few drivers on the hard compound, and after the safety car came out for Stroll’s incident, he switched to the medium tyres. The early retirement saw Stroll finish in P20, well behind what the team, and the driver, were hoping to accomplish on Sunday at Jeddah. But the bigger issue is how long it took for the stewards to let the team know of the possibility. The Alpine duo finished P8 and P9 in Jeddah, with Ocon coming across just in front of his teammate. There was a rather humorous exchange late in the race between Verstappen and his team, as he asked on Lap 46 what the fastest lap of the day was. “More just frustrating because we had a lot of potential in the car this weekend and we couldn’t use it.” That put the duo in position to perhaps work together, and fight their way into the points. When the safety car came out after Lance Stroll’s failure on Lap 17, Verstappen came into the pits and came out in fourth place, on the soft tyres. Steiner, however, noted that they needed to “to find a little bit on Kevin [Magnussen’s] car” because the driver was not quite comfortable with the setup. Verstappen managed to fight his way through the field, after starting 15th due to the driveshaft failure in the second qualifying session on Saturday.

The 2023 Formula 1 season continued with a relatively mundane affair in Saudi Arabia as Sergio Perez turned the tables on Max Verstappen in another Red Bull ...

A slight encroachment of the pit lane entry line witnessed his opening run – that would have been good enough for 13th place – controversially get deleted. Considering the limited track time, he did a steady job in the circumstances. His evening’s work would come to a complete stop shortly after when mechanical trouble forced him into a premature retirement. Qualified: P11 (Started: P10), Race: P12 Qualified: P13 (Started: P12), Race: P10 Qualified: P10 (Started: P9), Race: P9 Like his team-mate, Sainz was substantially hampered by Ferrari’s flailing pace on the harder compound of tyre during the final stint and failed to make any further headway beyond sixth. Qualified: P4 (Started: P3), Race: P4 Qualified: P12 (Started: P11), Race: P13 Reaching the chequered flag for the first time in 2023 provided little consolation to Leclerc. But with the fastest car in the field beneath him and a well-timed Safety Car, the reigning World Champion scythed his way back through to an untroubled second. Qualified: P2 (Started: P12), Race: P7

His teammate, Max Verstappen, was perhaps more impressive, though. The reigning world champion recovered from 15th place to finish second and make it a one-two ...

9) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +54.747 seconds In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull leads with 87 points versus an equal 38 points for Aston Martin and Mercedes. There was only one safety car period, which is unusual for the Saudi race. He settled for second but managed to gain a bonus point for the fastest lap. The stewards later reversed the decision and returned third place to Alonso. Alonso got the better start, but stewards later gave him a five-second penalty as his car was off the line of the starting grid.

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has been caught seemingly censoring his Formula 1 title aspirations as his rivalry with two-time world champion Max Verstappen ...

Very happy with the result of the team. “I enjoyed it a lot, especially at the end, just pushing each other with the lap times knowing that he went a tenth faster, tenth slower, tenth slower, and it was all pretty intense. Vamos a seguir empujando muy fuerte.— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) It was the fifth victory of Perez’s F1 career. Muy contento por el resultado del equipo. Later on Monday, Perez posted to Twitter: “It was tougher than I thought, but in the end I’m happy to get my fifth victory in F1.

'That mask slipped long ago': How awkward Red Bull moments exposed wounds that won't 'heal'

“Incensed, they petitioned the team to study the telemetry. “While they are cordial in public, there is no love lost between them. “This is a hangover from what happened in Monaco last year, of course. Very happy with the result of the team. He then called for a review when asked about the incident in his press conference. As Perez was hugged and high-fived by Red Bull staff, Jos completely ignored the Mexican — staring straight ahead. Whether it was or not, Pérez went on to win that race (the Mexican is fast becoming something of a “street king” with four of his five victories having come on street circuits), opening up a rift which is yet to heal.” “Two laps from the end, they told me to keep a certain pace, they told me I had the fastest lap and to keep the pace, a certain pace,” he told the media. Later on Monday, Perez posted to Twitter: “It was tougher than I thought, but in the end I’m happy to get my fifth victory in F1. “His grim stare straight ahead while Pérez hugged and high-fived team members in his vicinity before the podium ceremony was awkward and fascinating in what it said about the relationship between the Red Bull drivers,” he wrote. “I thought the communication was the same to Max, so it’s something we need to review.” First, Verstappen defiantly challenged his team to be able to push for the fastest lap and a championship point.