F1

Lap-by-lap report: Can the field capitalise on a rare qualifying mis-step from Max Verstappen? Find out with John Brewin.

17/50 Leclerc pits and so Verstappen is in fourth but still to pit. Verstappen has the fastest lap now, and Hamilton is the only drover on medium tyres. 19/50 Alonso pits, takes his penalty and stays ahead of Russell for second. 20/50 Stroll pulling up did a solid for his colleague Fernando Alonso in the Aston. 42/50 The action is at the back of the field, at this point. 28/50 Russell is told to let Hamilton in but then tells his team Alonso has a penalty. The gap between Perez and Verstappen is 5.5 seconds or thereabouts. 44/50 Perez has the fastest lap and if he retains that then he will be the championship lead over Verstappen, who is going to fall short of the 16/21 races he had targeted. 26/50 Alex Albon calls in to his Williams team. 33/50 Leclerc is not happy with his car. 38/50 Verstappen is not happy. The last few laps will see him and Verstappen try and land the fastest lap.

It's race two of the F1 2023 calendar and we're back in the Middle East after Max Verstappen's win in Bahrain a fortnight ago. The reigning world champion, ...

Red Bull are on another planet this season, and their crushing one-two finish - their second in as many races - will be a major cause of concern for [F1](/topic/f1) bosses as it embarks on a record 23-round calendar. I knew my pace was coming at the end. Perez crossed the line 5.3 seconds clear of team-mate Verstappen, who fought back from 15th after he limped out of qualifying with a driveshaft failure.

After an action-packed qualifying session on Saturday, it was Sergio Perez who beat the chasing pack to put his Red Bull on pole position for the 2023 Saudi ...

He's flying out there, just like his teammate Perez who now nearly holds a second gap to Alonso in the race lead. LIGHTS OUT: We're underway here in Jeddah and Alonso leads the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!!! Leclerc is pressuring him from behind now as the Ferrari man makes his way past Gasly and up into P8. Lap 10: Leclerc opens up his DRS and breezes past Hamilton on the start/finish straight. That could explain how both Ferrari's managed to jump the Canadian in the pits. He manages to serve his five-second penalty and still maintain P2 on the track. His engineer comes over the radio and tells him to stop out on track. The difference in speed there between the Red Bull and the Mercedes cars was frightening. Lap 34: Hamilton is now beginning to fall further back time-wise against his teammate as Russell responds to that potential decision to swap the Mercedes order. Lap 48: Not to jinx everyone in the top order but this race is just about done. On that occasion the subsequent race didn't exactly go to plan as a safety car ruined his chance to earn top spot in Jeddah. Unfortunately though, the veteran was demoted to P4 after the race, gaining a ten-second penalty as his team failed to serve an earlier five-second penalty correctly in the pit lane.

The F1 Championship continues with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix commencing soon. It's going to be an exciting race with Max Verstappen sure to want to build ...

For $70 per month (or $76 per month if you want to upgrade to ad-free Hulu), Hulu with Live TV puts a mountain of live and on-demand entertainment at your fingertips, and it’s the one of the best way to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live stream online. The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide](https://www.themanual.com/culture/what-is-disney-plus/) The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide](https://www.themanual.com/culture/what-is-espn-plus/) [What is Disney Plus? YouTube TV costs $65 per month, so it falls in-between Hulu with Live TV and Sling TV on the price spectrum. And with four ESPN channels in the mix, it’s a great way to watch the Saudi Arabian GP live stream as the 74th Formula 1 World Championship begins. The trade-off is that you get a couple of other advantages over Hulu with Live TV. You can always sign up for ESPN+ separately ($7 per month or $70 per year) to complete your sports streaming loadout, and you’ll still be paying less than you would for the other streaming packages on our list. The Orange plan’s three ESPN channels let you watch F1 live streams to your heart’s content, while the Blue plan’s sports channels include Fox Sports, NBC, and the NFL Network for more live action. This gives you all the channels of both the Orange and Blue channels — 50 channels in total — and is a great option for sports lovers. The race is available on ESPN in the United States, and the best way to tune in is through fuboTV, which offers a one-week free trial to new customers In the United Kingdom, it’s available on Sky Sports F1, and over in Canada it’s being broadcast in English through TNS and in French through RDS. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is being aired for free in Austria and Luxembourg. The F1 Championship continues with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix commencing soon.

Charles Leclerc will take a 10-place grid penalty for changing electrical components on his engine and will start 12th, despite qualifying in second.

Hamilton and Sargent are on the hard tyre compound He costs his teammate the chance to pit! Pisatri is reporting over the radio that his McLaren has damage. Hamilton has seemingly come alive on the medium tyres as he over takes Sainz. At the end Verstappen takes away the fastest lap point from his teammate to stay in the lead of the championship! If both Red Bulls stay in their positions, the final point will decide who leads the World Championship Verstappen comes on ti the team radio complaining he's hearing strange noises at high speed. The race is about to restart, with the safety car coming in at the end of the lap. Alonso managed to push at the end as his gap over Russell was over five second securing his third place on the podium. Unlike the rest of the top teams he is on medium tyres hoping to take them to the end of the race But it seems like Red Bull will be dominating for the year Despite pressure from Alonso and Verstappen he takes a brilliant win.

Suggestions that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund explored making a $20 billion bid to take over Formula One were “purely speculation,” according to the ...

Saudi Arabia is also in contention to host the opening race of the 2024 F1 season. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the chairman of the Saudi Motorsport Company that runs the race, said he expected it to remain in Jeddah until at least 2027 or 2028 as construction continues in Qiddiya. The demand is there and we will have two beautiful facilities.” Those debuts have led to criticism that the push is Aramco has trackside branding and title sponsorship for races, including last year’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and is also a title sponsor of the Aston Martin team. “It took a lot of heat and a lot of response and things between them, with the FIA and so on.

Fernando Alonso's joy at taking his 100th Formula 1 penalty in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix turned sour on Sunday evening, after he was handed a 10-second ...

[READ MORE: Perez fends off Verstappen to win action-packed Saudi Arabian GP as Alonso loses podium](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.perez-fends-off-verstappen-to-win-action-packed-saudi-arabian-gp-as-alonso.329xV14gKVrf1iU6dOkISI.html) They told me just five seconds in the first stint, and I opened seven or eight. I care, but I don’t care that much! [RACE START: Alonso pinches the lead from pole-sitter Perez as the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix gets under way](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.race-start-alonso-pinches-the-lead-from-pole-sitter-perez-as-the-saudi.Ejca9YDdgebxPEujCuE73.html) Now I have apparently three points less; I don’t have 15, I have 12. After being informed of the news, Alonso told Sky Sports F1: “It doesn’t hurt much, to be honest.

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso has lost his podium in Formula 1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after receiving another 10-second penalty after the race. Filip ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-a-mercedes-u-turn-couldnt-deny-saubers-f1-debut-surprise/10443406/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10444080/) But I need to review."

The two Red Bull drivers appeared to survive late-race issues to secure a perfect result for the Milton Keynes team, ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, ...

[Mercedes](/formula-1-teams/mercedes) drivers. [Max Verstappen](/formula-1-drivers/max-verstappen) recovery drive to lead a [Red Bull](/formula-1-teams/red-bull) one-two. [To news overview](/f1-news)© Red Bull Content Pool

Fernando Alonso may have celebrated his 100th rostrum appearance in F1 at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – but the joy was short-lived, ...

Fernando Alonso may have celebrated his 100th rostrum appearance in F1 at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – but the joy was short-lived, after the stewards handed him a 10-second penalty after the race that dropped him to P4. [stunning launch](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.race-start-alonso-pinches-the-lead-from-pole-sitter-perez-as-the-saudi.Ejca9YDdgebxPEujCuE73.html) from second on the grid to pass pole-sitter and eventual race winner Sergio Perez into Turn 1. Well, let F1 TV presenter Alex Brundle explain all…

Sergio Pérez recovered from losing the lead at the start to pass Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and claim a clinical Saudi Arabian Grand Prix victory ahead ...

After celebrating on the podium the Aston Martin driver was handed a 10-second penalty and slipped off the podium to fourth, with his third place going to Mercedes’ George Russell. And after 50 laps Pérez crossed the line to take the fifth win of his career. The Mercedes driver did his best to hold off Max’s charge but on lap 24 his defence faded and Verstappen powered past the Briton into Turn 27 to take P3. The Spanish driver sat out his penalty, moved to hard tyres and rejoined in second place as Verstappen also headed for the pits. The message came back, however, that there was no cause for concern and that he could continue. The move pushed Verstappen further up the order and on lap 15 the champion was in sixth place, just over a second behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Pérez now began to eke out a gap at the front and by lap 11 he’d carved out a two-second buffer to Alonso. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the other out of position starter, was also making his way up the order and by the following lap the Monegasque driver was past Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and into eighth place after starting 12th. Red Bull pitted Pérez and the Mexican moved to hard tyres as Alonso pitted behind him. Verstappen too, was making gains and by lap six he’d risen to 11th place after comfortably dismissing the Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. Sergio Pérez recovered from losing the lead at the start to pass Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and claim a clinical Saudi Arabian Grand Prix victory ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen who battled his way to second place from 15th place on grid after suffering a technical problem in qualifying. And as the field crossed the line to start the second lap the Spaniard was handed a five-second penalty to be served during his pit stop.

Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, leading home a Red Bull 1-2 ahead of a charging Max Verstappen. Charles Bradley.

[PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443144/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/how-the-f1-driver-expression-saga-continues-to-have-a-lineker-like-problem/10443530/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10443879/) Russell wasn’t in the mood to give up fourth to Hamilton, despite their tyre difference, and the Ferraris didn’t have much pace on the hards and proved to be no threat from behind. Hamilton used his fresh mediums to outdrag Sainz from the exit of Turn 1 to pick up fifth. Leclerc pitted on lap 17, allowing Verstappen free passage to fourth, and rejoined ahead of Stroll too, who’d struggled to get back up to speed. [Lewis Hamilton](https://www.autosport.com/driver/lewis-hamilton/829181/), the only driver in the top 10 to start on hard tyres, dropped to seventh in his Mercedes. Sainz pitted two laps later, also taking hards but overcutting Stroll. Verstappen jumped to sixth as he DRS-ed past Ocon and Stroll pitted on lap 14. Verstappen DRS-ed past Hamilton on lap 12 to take eighth, two seconds behind Leclerc, who then put Verstappen gained two spots on the opening lap, aided by [Oscar Piastri](https://www.autosport.com/driver/oscar-piastri/869530/) needing a new front wing on his [McLaren](https://www.autosport.com/team/mclaren/36473/) after a first corner clash with an [Alpine](https://www.autosport.com/team/alpine/39174/). He quickly picked off those in front to sit behind Perez by half distance.

Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, leading home a Red Bull 1-2 ahead of a charging Max Verstappen. Charles Bradley.

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443160/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-a-mercedes-u-turn-couldnt-deny-saubers-f1-debut-surprise/10443406/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10444080/) Hamilton used his fresh mediums to outdrag Sainz from the exit of Turn 1 to pick up fifth. Verstappen breezed past Russell into the final corner, so had just Alonso between him and Perez, who was 5s up the road. Leclerc pitted on Lap 17, allowing Verstappen free passage to fourth, and rejoined ahead of Stroll too, who’d struggled to get back up to speed. [Lewis Hamilton](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/lewis-hamilton/1278/), the only driver in the top 10 to start on hard tyres, dropped to seventh in his Mercedes. Sainz pitted two laps later, also taking hards but overcutting Stroll. Verstappen gained two spots on the opening lap, aided by [Oscar Piastri](https://www.motorsport.com/driver/oscar-piastri/828689/) needing a new front wing on his [McLaren](https://www.motorsport.com/team/mclaren/10/) after a first corner clash with an [Alpine](https://www.motorsport.com/team/alpine/24858/). Verstappen jumped to sixth as he DRS-ed past Ocon and Stroll pitted on Lap 14. Leclerc and Verstappen were up to seventh and ninth respectively by Lap 10. He quickly picked off those in front to sit behind Perez by half distance.

Ferrari's poor late performance in Formula 1's 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix now “proves” the team “lacks a bit of race pace” and is not second fastest, reckons ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443144/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/how-the-f1-driver-expression-saga-continues-to-have-a-lineker-like-problem/10443530/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10443879/) Now, obviously, we cannot do magic to bring the developments early. “We need clean air to produce some kind of decent lap times. We lack a bit of race pace.”

Fernando Alonso has taken aim at the FIA and feels "something is really wrong in the system" over his late penalty that cost him a podium in the Formula 1 Saudi ...

[PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443144/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/how-the-f1-driver-expression-saga-continues-to-have-a-lineker-like-problem/10443530/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10443879/) But anyway, that was my mistake." We don't need to invent anything," Alonso explained. "I feel sorry for the fans.

Sergio Perez dominated the field around the Jeddah Street Circuit to take the fifth victory of his Formula One career at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

He's flying out there, just like his teammate Perez who now nearly holds a second gap to Alonso in the race lead. LIGHTS OUT: We're underway here in Jeddah and Alonso leads the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!!! Lap 3: Perez now leads the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!!! Leclerc is pressuring him from behind now as the Ferrari man makes his way past Gasly and up into P8. Lap 10: Leclerc opens up his DRS and breezes past Hamilton on the start/finish straight. That could explain how both Ferrari's managed to jump the Canadian in the pits. He manages to serve his five-second penalty and still maintain P2 on the track. Lap 34: Hamilton is now beginning to fall further back time-wise against his teammate as Russell responds to that potential decision to swap the Mercedes order. The difference in speed there between the Red Bull and the Mercedes cars was frightening. Lap 48: Not to jinx everyone in the top order but this race is just about done. On that occasion, the subsequent race didn't exactly go to plan as a safety car ruined his chance to earn top spot. The Aston Martin driver was originally demoted down to P4 after the race after gaining an additional 10-second penalty as his team failed to serve an earlier five-second penalty correctly in the pit lane, though that decision was later reversed by the FIA giving the Spaniard a landmark 100th career podium.

Fernando Alonso's 100th career podium finish in Formula 1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been reinstated after his Aston Martin squad won a right to review.

[PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443144/) [PlusPlusFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-a-mercedes-u-turn-couldnt-deny-saubers-f1-debut-surprise/10443178/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/how-the-f1-driver-expression-saga-continues-to-have-a-lineker-like-problem/10443530/) [PlusPlusFormula 1Saudi Arabian GP ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10443879/) And this is I think what is at the moment being clarified.” “There have been discussions,” he said.

F1 pundits have questioned whether the British team can take back Fernando's podium.

Fernando Alonso criticised Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stewards on Sunday for a 10-second post-race penalty that denied him a 100th career podium in Formula ...

"I am happy in the end with the result tonight and our second podium. They had enough time to really inform about the penalty. If I knew that, maybe I open 11 seconds to the car behind. without being penalised." Today we didn't put on a good show, I think, for our fans. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

DRIVERS1 – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing)2 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing)3 – Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin) / George RUSSELL (Mercedes) ** Alonso ...

I think a little bit of common sense needs to be shown and ultimately, I think he was a bit to the left, was that right? I was having some strange vibrations and obviously what happened to Max was in the back of my mind today, and I'm sure he was in the back of the mind of the team as well so it was just a matter of making sure both cars finished to maximise maximum points. I just felt like there was a point where - I don't know - for the last 10 laps or so that we had very similar pace, within a tenth, faster or slower. I just thought that was a little bit senseless, really, so I think we all need to come together and just find a common centre ground. It’s a point on the line, it was the same also in Bahrain it got asked so especially when it's just between the two cars, I think it's quite normal that you asked for what the fastest lap is. I mean, of course, it all helps, we both, I think, have a good feeling with the car. I enjoyed it a lot, especially at the end, just pushing each other with the lap times, knowing that he went a tenth faster, a tenth slower, a tenth faster and it was all pretty intense and then we were told to maintain a certain pace. And then it was only in the last five laps, I found out that he might be getting a penalty. Today, luckily, didn't do that but it started to have a similar effect on the feeling of driving and what you could hear MV: Yeah, right to the finish but, I mean, I was in second, we had a big gap behind,. But once I cleared them one by one we got into a good rhythm and of course they are very happy to be here on the podium. I mean, the job they've done, they've worked so hard during the weekend, you know, we have had a lot of mechanical issues and these guys have been on top of that, so I'm really happy for them and it's time to celebrate.

Red Bull Racing maintained its impressive start to the 2023 Formula 1 season in Saudi Arabia – though this time it was Sergio Perez who led home World ...

“We were able to have a good race, get a good start, manage the tires well – especially on the hard compound when I was on older tires than Tsunoda and actually had less degradation. That we have a weakness in the race, that we need to wait for developments to come to see if we can improve that weakness.” “It was a bit worse in the race than we were hoping for, we struggled in the dirty air too much. I was then able to get past him at the end, and we managed to get a point.” McLaren suffered another dismal race in Saudi Arabia – from a race that had initial promise on one side of the garage. It later emerged that both Race Control and the FIA’s Remote Operations Centre had initially given Alonso the all-clear but was then prodded on the last lap – likely by a rival team that would benefit – to take another look at the situation. “The last stint on the Hard [tires] proves that we are not where we want to be,” said Sainz. But it is a little bit sad for the FIA yes.” “So I thought that communication was the same to Max. But shortly after third-placed Alonso celebrated the 100th podium of his career he was hit with a 10-second time drop due to the original penalty being incorrectly served. Red Bull’s pace advantage around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was such that he was able to breeze past Fernando Alonso – having lost out on the opening lap – and from there he opened and preserved a buffer to his closest challengers. Verstappen holds a slender one-point buffer over Perez in the championship on account of setting the race’s fastest lap.

Mercedes driver George Russell was left feeling satisfied with the performance he delivered across the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, though admitted ...

“But clearly, we have made some small steps compared to Bahrain. “To be honest, [it was] not really [expected]. “P4 for me, it’s been probably one of my strongest weekends in F1.

Ferrari's poor performance late in Formula 1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proves the team "lacks a bit of race pace" and is not second fastest, reckons Carlos ...

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443160/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-a-mercedes-u-turn-couldnt-deny-saubers-f1-debut-surprise/10443406/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10444080/) Now, obviously, we cannot do magic to bring the developments early. We just eat them alive. We lack a bit of race pace."

Fernando Alonso's 100th career podium finish in Formula 1's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been reinstated after his Aston Martin squad won a right to review.

[PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-ecclestones-new-f1-documentary-defies-expectations/10441815/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/how-a-dynamic-design-tool-has-grown-in-f1-importance/10442017/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-mercedes-is-fronting-up-to-its-f1-mistakes-too-much/10443160/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/why-a-mercedes-u-turn-couldnt-deny-saubers-f1-debut-surprise/10443406/) [PrimePrimeFormula 1 ](/f1/news/testing-times-for-vasseur-but-the-true-challenge-at-ferrari-is-about-to-come/10444080/) “There have been discussions,” he said.

The Silver Arrows are already facing up to another lost season after disappointing results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

“I think we showed the pace that we have,” he said. Things can change very quickly but we’re delighted to get this many points on the board this early.” “At certain points, we were 1.2seconds clear of the field. We are still a long way off the Red Bull.” Wolff also warned that Hamilton’s struggles with the W14 – he is particularly battling with how the rear end of the car feels – were not about to be remedied in time for the next race in Australia in two weeks’ time. If you’re a fighter, you stay in the fight and don’t throw the towel in.