Max Verstappen led a one-two finish for Red Bull Racing at this past weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which served as round two of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship.
Teammate Sergio Perez did well to finish in second place some 13 seconds behind Verstappen, as he suffered a five-second penalty for an unsafe release during an early pit stop in which he almost crashed into Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso. Third place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit went to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished 18 seconds behind the winner.
Just like the season opener in Bahrain a week ago, Verstappen led the race from the pole. Perez started third on the grid and was able to quickly pass Leclerc, who had joined Verstappen at the front of the grid for the start. Leclerc fought back and was able to reclaim second place by the fourth turn. However, Perez then reclaimed the position a couple laps later with some help from DRS.
Some drama occurred on lap seven when Aston Martin's Lance Stroll clipped a wall and crashed into the barriers. He was unharmed, but the race was halted as the safety car was deployed. Most of the leaders pitted at this point, including the two Red Bull drivers.
2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Upon emerging, Verstappen was temporarily behind McLaren's Lando Norris, who was still out on his first set of tires, but the reigning world champion made a pass on lap 13 after his fresh set of tires had warmed up. Perez also passed Norris a few laps later, and from there the two Red Bull drivers continued to build their gap.
The battle for third place was still on, but Norris finally ceded the place to Leclerc about two thirds of the way into the race. From there on the Ferrari driver managed to up the pace, even setting the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.
Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman showed impressive form in his debut race, managing a respectable seventh overall and thus scoring his first points. He filled in for Carlos Sainz, who missed the race due to an appendicitis.
Following the past weekend's action, Verstappen leads the 2024 Drivers' Championship with 51 points. Perez is second with 36 points and Leclerc has overtaken Sainz to move into third with 28 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull leads with 87 points, versus the 49 of Ferrari and 28 of McLaren. The next race on the calendar is the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks.
2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +13.643 seconds
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +18.639 seconds
4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +32.007 seconds
5) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +35.759 seconds
6) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +39.936 seconds
7) Oliver Bearman, Ferrari +42.679 seconds
8) Lando Norris, McLaren +45.708 seconds
9) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +47.391 seconds
10) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +76.996 seconds
11) Alexander Albon, Williams +88.354 seconds
12) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +105.737 seconds
13) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1 lap
14) Logan Sargeant, Williams +1 lap
15) Yuki Tsunoda, RB +1 lap
16) Daniel Ricciardo, RB +1 lap
17) Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +1 lap
18) Zhou Guanyu, Sauber +1 lap
NC) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin - DNF
NC) Pierre Gasly, Alpine - DNF
