F1 Saudi Arabian GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
After Max Verstappen dominated practice, a driveshaft failure on his Red Bull dumped him out of Q2 in qualifying and means he starts the race in Jeddah from 15th place.
Team-mate Sergio Perez starts on pole, beating Charles Leclerc to top spot in qualifying, who in turn also drops down the starting order due to a 10-place grid penalty for an electrical package change following his Bahrain retirement.
Leclerc’s penalty elevates Fernando Alonso on to the front row for Aston Martin, with George Russell in third place for Mercedes.
The Saudi Arabian GP starts at 5:00pm GMT.
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There is plenty more to come, as F1 heads to Australia in two weeks for another bonza weekend at Albert Park. Until then, have a lovely rest of your Sunday. Go well!
So, two races down, two Red Bull 1-2s... and hard luck to Alonso who is denied his 100th F1 podium despite celebrating it before his penalty came in.
Breaking news
Here's the full Saudi Arabian GP report, including the Alonso post-race penalty: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-saudi-arabian-gp-perez-cruises-to-red-bull-1-2-as-penalty-denies-alonso-podium/10446042/
It could have been even worse for Alonso, as the new results put him fourth and just 0.3s ahead of Hamilton in fifth.
It appears the rear jackman touched Alonso's car too soon while he was serving his five-second penalty picked up for his incorrect grid slot, so it is a straightforward penalty if truth be told.
Penalty
Alonso loses his podium! The 10-second penalty has been delivered and he drops to fourth in the final results!
The FIA stewards are investigating Alonso for serving his penalty incorrectly. Last time out Ocon got a 10-second penalty for the same offence, so if he is found guilty he could still lose his 100th F1 podium.
Still, it is the Mexican national anthem that plays on the podium, for the fifth time in Perez's career. Four of his five F1 wins have come on street circuits.
In the cooldown room Perez asks Verstappen if he went for fastest lap at the end of the race, which he confirms. The pair share glances, it looks like Perez wasn't too happy with that. It did cost him the championship lead, after all.
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Verstappen on his 15th to 2nd charge: "It wasn't easy to get through the field. In the first sector at the start it was difficult and I was sliding around. We settled for second [after the driveshaft issue] so a good recovery in the end."
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Alonso on third place and his 100th F1 podium: "What a start to the season, unthinkable a month ago. These guys have made a fantastic car and a fantastic strategy. I need to review [the start] as I made a mistake."
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"It turned out to be tougher than expected. The safety car tried to take the victory from us again here, but not this year," Perez tells David Coulthard in the top three interviews.
Tsunoda just misses out on the points in 11th, ahead of Hulkenberg, Zhou, de Vries, Piastri, Sargeant, Norris and Bottas. Just two retirements: Albon and Stroll.
Russell in fourth leads home Mercedes team-mate Hamilton in fifth, with Sainz in sixth and Leclerc seventh for Ferrari. The two-by-twos continue, with Ocon eighth and Gasly ninth for Alpine. Magnussen rounds out the points in 10th for Haas.
Sargeant just about manages to hold off Norris at the last moment!
Alonso completes the podium, his 100th F1 career rostrum, and he finishes 5.1s ahead of Russell so even if a penalty is incoming he should keep hold of third.
Piastri makes it past Sargeant for 15th
Checkered flag
But it doesn't stop Perez from winning the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP! It is a Red Bull 1-2 and Verstappen does take the fastest lap bonus point to keep the championship lead!
Final lap time, and Verstappen is setting fastest mini sector times...
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"It'd be nice to be five seconds clear of Russell, but we think we are all clean," Alonso is told on Aston Martin team radio. Maybe they also suspect a penalty incoming?
Further back the gaps have stabilised, but Russell is keeping within five seconds of Alonso as his Mercedes team suspect the Spaniard might get a five-second penalty. For what is a guess at this stage.
Piastri is allowed to pass Norris and set about Sargeant - it's battle of the rookies for 15th
For the record, Perez has the fastest lap as it stands, while Verstappen needs to find a tenth on his personal best lap in this race to take it off him.
Magnussen snatches 10th from a frustrated Tsunoda
Is the game up for Verstappen? His pace has dipped, the gap is 5.5s now, and he's focused on trying to get the fastest lap.
Nice little wheel-to-wheel battle at the back of the field from those McLarens there
Perez keeps asking why Red Bull is pushing so hard, he has a point given its reliability worries and its healthy gap over Alonso in third, but the pace remains hot in the fight for victory.
Perez leads by 4.3s, but he's keeping guard against Verstappen. As it stands the Mexican will go to the top of the standings by virtue of having the fastest lap bonus point.
De Vries dives down the inside of Sargeant at the last corner and forces the Williams to defend from Norris on the straight
Perez is told by the team it is happy with his brake pedal despite there being a bit of wear. Tis but a scratch, Sergio.
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"I'm having a bit of a long brake pedal," Perez reports. It's all happening, even if from the outside it looks like a supreme performance from Red Bull. 10 laps to go.
Verstappen is voicing his concern again about the driveshaft issue on team radio but he is being assured all is OK for now. Both his and Perez's pace is rapid, but is the car a little fragile?
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"I feel like this driveshaft is running a bit rough," Verstappen says over team radio. "It's just the B-Bal offset that's left, Max. Can't do anything on the B-bal map itself." B-bal is brake balance, apparently, so a few mixed messages there.
Zhou makes the move on Sargeant at Turn 1 for 13th place, with de Vries closing in behind the Williams
Verstappen takes four-tenths out of Perez's lead and then the Mexican adds back a tenth on the next lap. Both of them are over a second faster than anyone else on track.
Bottas pits from 18th for a new set of soft tyres
Hamilton has dropped off the back of Russell now, 2.6s off his team-mate in the fight for fourth, as this race begins its stand-off stage, waiting to see who blinks first.
Credit to Perez, he is still matching Verstappen's pace to keep his lead at 4.8s with 15 laps to go.
After the frantic start, this race is starting to mirror how the Bahrain GP played out. Red Bull 1-2 clearing off in the distance (granted, the other way around), Alonso fighting for the podium ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari cars...
Leclerc on the radio: "Being behind like this is really ****. I don't know what to do."
By: Autosport Staff
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