Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Verstappen and Bearman were the heroes of the day

Dominant in qualifying, Max Verstappen was not worried at the start either. The Dutch driver took advantage of the battle between Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez at the start to build a comfortable lead. By the end of the opening lap, the reigning world champion had a one-second lead over his closest pursuer. Keen not to lose time on the leader, Leclerc let Perez pass without resistance on the fourth lap and hoped to be towed by the Red Bull. However, the pace difference between the two cars was too great for such a strategy to materialize.

Life in gray for Gasly

Further down the grid, things were far less rosy. The nightmare start to the season continues for Pierre Gasly. Lacking performance, the Alpine drivers approach each weekend knowing they have no chance of escaping the bottom of the grid and scoring points legitimately. At Jeddah, a track where race incidents are not unusual, it was important to finish the race and hope for a stroke of luck. The Norman driver was not fortunate. From the formation lap, he signaled to his engineer a gearbox issue. By the end of the first lap, he was called into the garage to abort his race. Speaking to Canal+, the Grand Prix winner revealed that he had lost his 6th gear. Pierre Gasly will have to be patient during this first part of the season.

Safety car interruption

Since its introduction to the calendar in 2021, no Grand Prix in Jeddah has ended without the safety car on track. In 2024, Bernd Mayländer was once again called into action. Lance Stroll was the new victim of the walls. Only four drivers decided not to dive into the pits. Among them: Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. The two Brits would therefore have to extend their stint on medium tires as much as possible to switch to red-banded tires towards the end of the race.

With this bold strategy, the McLaren driver was propelled into the lead of the race. A position that Lando Norris could hold for only 3 laps before the inevitable Max Verstappen reclaimed his favorite position. Since last season’s Japanese Grand Prix, no one has managed to knock the Dutchman off his pedestal. For the second time this season, and probably not the last either, the battle for victory was non-existent. The only one able to keep up with Verstappen’s pace was his teammate. However, penalized with a 5-second penalty for being released from the pits without caution, the Mexican was mathematically out of the game.

A lively middle of the pack

Fortunately, further up the hierarchy, there was some movement. Kevin Magnussen perfectly embraced the role of troublemaker in the midfield. The Haas driver found himself involved in numerous race incidents. The first heated moment occurred at the restart of the race. The Dane fiercely resisted Alexander Albon and squeezed him against the wall, causing the Thai driver to lose parts of his car. For this action, the stewards imposed a 10-second penalty on him. Then, later in the race, he received the same penalty for overtaking Yuki Tsunoda outside the track limits by unconsciously lunging inside the Japanese driver at the 8th corner.

The race was also marked by the long struggle between Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton. The two men came close on several occasions to making contact at the first turn, but fortunately, the irreparable was never done. After numerous unsuccessful attempts, the Briton left the Australian’s field of vision when the latter finally entered the pits for his mandatory stop. The young McLaren driver will probably have nightmares about the rear wing of the Mercedes tonight.

Of course, the main attraction of the race was to follow the progress of young Oliver Bearman. Following an appendectomy, Carlos Sainz was not in a condition to race, so the Englishman, only 18 years old, was called to replace him. Making his debut on a track as fast and technical as Jeddah is an intimidating challenge, but the rookie did not let himself be intimidated. Starting on soft tires to make his life easier at the beginning, the Ferrari driver took advantage of the safety car to switch to hard tires relatively early. Also rewarding the spectators with an impressive overtaking move on Yuki Tsunoda, Bearman was the hero of the day in Jeddah.

For the 56th time in his career, Max Verstappen finishes on the top step of the podium. A feat that shows the progression of the three-time world champion. Last year, it was one of only three circuits on which he had been beaten. This year, urban circuits master Sergio Perez could do nothing to stop his garage neighbor’s imperial march.

Charles Leclerc’s third position and Oliver Bearman’s seventh position allow Scuderia Ferrari to maintain second place in the constructor’s championship.

The strategic gamble of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton did not pay off. The two Britons fail to finish 8th and 9th, just behind their light-clad compatriot. Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, racks up a lot of points for his team with a fourth-place finish. The future of Formula 1 has definitely shown its teeth in Jeddah.