Verstappen wins in Saudi Arabia as Bearman earns his first points

Max Verstappen has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix once again in a dominant fashion. Sergio Perez finished second behind his teammate, but was not a threat for the Dutchman. It was Charles Leclerc rounded off the Top 3 in the Middle East and earned a podium for Ferrari.

It was a straightforward race for Max Verstappen at the front. He only had to overtake Lando Norris after the Safety Car session, and then disappeared into the distance. Sergio Perez once again brought his Red Bull home in second place, while this time, it was Charles Leclerc who could step on the final step of the podium. The Monegasque driver also earned an additional point for the fastest lap of the race.

While he was stuck behind Lewis Hamilton for many laps, Oscar Piastri finished in a great fourth position. Fernando Alonso finished in fifth place ahead of George Russell, both drivers had an uneventful Grand Prix.

The young British driver, Oliver Bearman showed his talent on the biggest stage, completed some great maneouvres, and finished in P7 ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, the two drivers who did not pit under the Safety Car session.

Kevin Magnussen did a huge favour for his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who finished in P10. The German also did not switch tyres early on, but did not lose out on positions as Magnussen held up the chasers behind them.

As it happened

Max Verstappen got off to a good start, while his teammate, Perez was side by side with Charles Leclerc at the front. The Monegasque driver was able to hold onto his position after a tough battle with the Mexican. On Lap 4, Perez used Red Bull’s pace on the straights to his advantage and completed his move into Turn 1.

Lining up in P6, Lando Norris jumped the start, but surprisingly so, he did not receive a penalty, as the sensors determined he did not break the rules. Moreover, Pierre Gasly retired after Lap 1. The Alpine driver reported during the formation lap that he had a problem with shifting, and was ordered to enter the pit lane by his team.

On Lap 7, Lance Stroll ended up in the wall in Turn 22, and as a result, a different Aston Martin replaced the Canadian on the grid, the Safety Car. As a result, a plethora of cars entered the pit lane, except for Norris and Hamilton at the front. Perez was unsafely released during his stop, and received a five-second penalty.

The McLaren driver did well on the restart and could keep Verstappen behind. During the restart further behind on the grid, Oliver Bearman made a great move on Yuki Tsunoda, and Kevin Magnussen made contact with Alexander Albon in Sector 1. The Dane got a 10-second penalty for causing a collision. Magnussen later received another 10-second penalty for overtaking Tsunoda, as he left the track completing an ambitious move.

After the Verstappen’s new tyres warmed up, he overtook Norris, and Perez also flew past Hamilton. On Lap 15, Charles Leclerc also overtook his future teammate one fresher tyres. Three laps later, Perez also went past Norris and got back up to second place. On Lap 27, Leclerc was finally able to get past Norris.

Outside of the points-paying positions, there was a fierce battle from P12 down the rest of the grid. Tsunoda tried to overtake Magnussen on the main straight, but into Turn 2, the Japanese driver did not pay enough attention and conceded two positions to the Dane and Esteban Ocon. A couple of laps later, Alexander Albon also overtook Tsunoda.

After nearly 20 laps behind the Briton, Piastri finally had the chance to go past Hamilton on the main straight, but he locked up into Turn 1 and had to give the position back.

The two drivers who did not pit under the safety car still had to switch tyres once. Hamilton pitted on Lap 37, and Norris was fitted a set of softs a lap later to avoid an undercut. The pair of the two Britons returned to the track in P8 and P9 respectively.

On Lap 49, Daniel Ricciardo, outside of the points in P16, spun in Turn 1 as he hit the wall. The Australian could finish the race.