Pink Bull continued their good begin to 2024 with a second successive one-two end in Jeddah, as super-sub Oliver Bearman additionally impressed on his F1 debut. It wasn’t so profitable for others, although. We’ve picked out our winners and losers from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Winner: Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman’s dealing with of his shock F1 debut in Saudi Arabia was textbook. The 18-year-old brilliantly absorbed the stress of leaping in with just some hours’ discover to drive for F1’s most well-known workforce Ferrari instead of Carlos Sainz.
READ MORE: Bearman ‘destroyed’ after points-scoring Ferrari debut as he displays on ‘good displaying’ in Saudi Arabia
After a single hour of follow, he certified a superb eleventh, simply 0.036s behind seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Briton went on to drive an assured Grand Prix, with essential overtakes on Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg and an aesthetic defence of Lando Norris to take seventh.
Alternatives to show you’ve got what it takes to ship in F1 are few and much between. Bearman grasped his likelihood with each arms and delivered a efficiency that not solely earned him the fan-voted Driver of the Day accolade however enhanced his probabilities of a full-time drive someplace on the grid in 2025.
Loser: Lance Stroll
This was a weekend to neglect for Lance Stroll.
Whereas the Canadian made Q3 for under the second time within the final 12 races, he was nonetheless six locations adrift of workforce mate Fernando Alonso (although he did say he encountered some points on his ultimate run).
Come race day, the Aston Martin racer clipped a wall, inflicting harm that subsequently pitched him into the boundaries and out of the race.
READ MORE: Stroll says he must ‘reset’ forward of Australia as he explains reason for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix crash
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Stroll crashes out to set off Security Automobile in Jeddah
Winner: Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen’s ruthless grip on Components 1 continued in Saudi Arabia as he managed one other weekend with aplomb.
The reigning world champion accomplished two laps that had been adequate for pole in Q3 and as soon as he obtained a clear getaway from P1, he cruised away on the entrance for a ninth successive win.
This was his one centesimal podium – solely the seventh driver in historical past to attain the feat – and can head to the following race in Australia having not retired from a Grand Prix for 2 years.
READ MORE: ‘It is 88 missed podiums!’ – Verstappen displays on one centesimal F1 rostrum look as he praises ‘improbable’ Bearman
Losers: Alpine
Alpine’s ache continued into Saudi because the A524 was woefully off the tempo. Each automobiles had been booted out of qualifying within the first phase, their finest lap 1.3s off the tempo.
On Saturday, Pierre Gasly didn’t even get the prospect to compete as a gearbox challenge (he misplaced sixth gear and the synchronisation of all the opposite gears) on the formation lap pressured him to retire.
Esteban Ocon made a battle of it within the race and at instances flirted with the sting of the highest 10 when the sphere compressed following a Security Automobile. However in the end, he light and crossed the road thirteenth. Upgrades are on their method – they usually can’t come quickly sufficient.
Winner: Sergio Perez
Pink Bull have requested Sergio Perez to show he deserves to remain on the workforce in 2025 – and to this point, he’s achieved what they’ve requested, the Mexican snatching second off Charles Leclerc early within the race to make up for lacking out on the entrance row.
He took the blame for the five-second penalty he obtained for an unsafe launch – and subsequently worn out that deficit with some very robust tempo to comfortably end second.
READ MORE: Perez admits error that sparked penalty as he displays on ‘chaotic’ race to P2 in Saudi Arabia
That’s back-to-back second-place finishes to start out the season, leaving him second within the drivers’ standings whereas serving to Pink Bull construct a wholesome 38-point lead within the constructors’ championship.
Loser: Daniel Ricciardo
It’s been a troublesome begin to the season for Daniel Ricciardo, who is aware of that he’s on Pink Bull’s shortlist for promotion again to the works workforce sooner or later if he can show the flip of velocity and consistency that has characterised most of his profession.
In Saudi, the RB driver misplaced vital time at his pit cease (Racing Director Alan Permane mentioned the workforce had an issue with the tyres) and that dropped him to the again of the sphere. Then a couple of laps from the top, he took an excessive amount of kerb and spun. A irritating finish to a irritating weekend.
READ MORE: ‘Hungry’ Ricciardo says 2024 season looks like ‘second half’ of F1 profession beginning
Winners: Haas
Haas entered the season fearing they might be in the back of the pack and struggling to maintain up – however the actuality has been positively completely different.
In Saudi, the American workforce break up the 2 automobiles throughout the Security Automobile interval, with Nico Hulkenberg going lengthy. He confirmed robust tempo in clear air, and with workforce mate Kevin Magnussen – who picked up two time penalties for infringements – backing the pack up behind, he had sufficient time to finish his obligatory pit cease and rejoin in P10.
It was spectacular teamwork that yielded what may very well be a vital level – Hulkenberg’s first in 20 Grands Prix (not together with Sprints).
Losers: Mercedes
Mercedes fell down the pecking order in Saudi Arabia, the Silver Arrows rising because the fifth quickest workforce behind Pink Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin.
Whereas Lewis Hamilton took hope from their velocity within the medium and low-speed corners, they had been in a world of ache within the high-speed turns, with the automobile bouncing in these corners.
READ MORE: Russell displays on ‘irritating’ Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Hamilton predicts ‘difficult’ races forward for Mercedes
That meant they misplaced acres of time within the first sector – boss Toto Wolff mentioned the workforce had been shedding round half-a-second in three corners the place they had been uncompetitive – and dominated them out of difficult for the rostrum.
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Leclerc fights off Perez problem to maintain P2 on the race begin
Winner: Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso was one of many happier drivers post-race, the Spaniard feeling like he obtained every thing out of his Aston Martin on his approach to fifth, beating a McLaren, a Ferrari and each Mercedes automobiles.
This was his second successive factors rating and got here after a qualifying session the place he missed out on a entrance row beginning spot by simply 0.055s. He often is the oldest driver on the grid at 42 – however he’s displaying no indicators of shedding his edge.
READ MORE: Alonso hails ‘step in the fitting course’ for Aston Martin after battling with rivals en path to P5 in Jeddah
Losers: Kick Sauber
For the second race in succession, Zhou Guanyu rose up the sphere to battle in and across the factors – however a gradual pit cease (the place the workforce encountered the identical challenge as in Bahrain) dropped him to the again of the pack.
Valtteri Bottas had a good begin, however the workforce mentioned yellow lights signalling “a possible stalling automobile pressured him to brake” and that price him a string of positions. Like Zhou, he struggled to get exhausting compound tyres into the optimum working window and thus a second race handed with out both automobile scoring factors.
Winner: Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri delivered an assured drive that constructed on a robust qualifying efficiency and yielded a powerful fourth-place end in Saudi Arabia.
READ MORE: Norris insists technique gamble price a shot as Piastri left ‘very glad’ with P4 in Saudi Arabia
Fourth was McLaren’s best-ever end in Jeddah and the Australian’s ending place exhibits how far the workforce have come relative to final yr – the workforce having failed to complete within the high 5 in any of the opening eight races final season.
Race Highlights: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix