2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Takeaways
Formula 1 flies to the Land Down Under following an action-filled weekend around the Jeddah Street Circuit. Once again, the Red Bulls dominated the field, but it was the Mexican driver Sergio Perez who crossed the line first. The former Racing Point employee scored his fifth career victory at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Of course, the interesting narratives keep coming with teammate Verstappen splitting the field to finish P2 despite starting in P15, while Aston Martin’s Alonso grabs his second podium finish of the season in P3.
Key Takeaways from the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
In Jeddah @alo_oficial became only the sixth driver in F1 history to reach 100 career podiums #SaudiArabianGP #F1 https://t.co/uQMHJgGJZb
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 20, 2023
Checo with his fifth
Sergio Perez scored his first career pole position in Jeddah last year. He is a master of street circuits, which he displayed last night. The 33-year-old missed out on a top spot last year due to a Safety Car appearance. Nevertheless, he bounced back with a solid weekend in Saudi Arabia. Checo took the top spot in qualifying, and after losing a place to Alonso a few laps in, he quickly recovered and led most of the race earning his fifth Grand Prix win and 28th podium finish.
The +1,200 favorite overcame an attack from veteran driver Fernando Alonso at the start. A nervy Safety Car period and Verstappen’s incredible pace did not faze the man from Guadalajara. This result nearly catapulted Perez into the championship lead if it weren’t for a tremendous fastest final lap by the defending champ.
Alonso from P3 to P4 to P3
The Aston Martins had another field day when both drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll made it to Q3. Eventually, Alonso bagged P3 and Stroll clocked in a lap time good enough to start in P6. The promising lap times meant they could keep up with both Ferraris and Mercedes throughout the race.
The +1,200 Drivers’ Championship favorite had a flying start and snatched P1 from Perez into turn one, but a subsequent five-second penalty for lining up outside his grid box meant he had to give way to Sergio Perez eventually. Meanwhile, Stroll was one of the two retirements from the race. The Canadian was told to stop his AMR23 in the early stages, which took him out of the front-running skirmishes.
Another issue nearly nullified Alonso’s achievement for the day. His rear jack mechanic was later judged to have touched the car before serving his penalty, which meant the Spaniard needed to endure another ten-second penalty after the race. However, upon reviewing the decision, the stewards later ruled that Alonso’s podium finish would stand. The final results meant that the two-time world champion got to keep his 100th podium finish, becoming only the sixth driver to earn the achievement.
Verstappen closes a huge gap
The defending champion and -500 favorite won Driver Of The Day with his stellar recovery from a poor qualifying. Verstappen only managed a P15 start the day before after suffering mechanical issues. He stormed through the field to cross the line behind his teammate and was only over four seconds behind teammate Sergio Perez.
Despite putting himself within striking distance of Perez, Verstappen ultimately had to accept defeat to Perez. A driveshaft concern late in the race following the same component failure during qualifying meant he had to take it easy in the dying laps. He was on pace to catch his teammate if the race went on for a few more laps. Nonetheless, the Belgian-Dutch driver holds onto the Drivers’ Championship top spot after securing the fastest lap of the day.
The rest of the grid
Ferrari and Mercedes had no answers for the RB19 as they distantly followed in pairs. Russell did get ahead of seven-time World Champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz led Charles Leclerc home. The team from Maranello is now neck-and-neck with Aston Martin as the 2023 Constructors’ Championship winner at +1,580, while the German outfit remains the fourth-best pick at +2,056.
Leclerc was out of contention after his pre-race grid penalty, but the double points finish meant that Ferrari kept fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship race. These might be underwhelming numbers for now, however, we’re about to witness Formula 1’s longest season and anything can happen along the way.
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