Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – The best/worst of the editorial team
After the second Grand Prix of the season, which took place in Saudi Arabia, at the urban circuit of Jeddah, the team at Motors Inside presents their top/flop.
After the second Grand Prix of the season, which took place in Saudi Arabia, on the urban circuit of Jeddah, the Motors Inside editorial team presents its top/flop.
With Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc notably penalized on the starting grid due to mechanical component changes, we were expecting an eventful race.
It was the case for the first part of the race, then a long slow pace settled at the front of the race. However, that didn’t stop some from proving their desire to compete, while others had to endure a race of waiting or disillusionment.
TOP 3
- 1/The Red Bull clan in another league.
- 2/ Fernando Alonso: grandpa resists
- 3/A combative and competitive midfield
Following in the footsteps of Mercedes from 2014 to 2020, since the second half of the 2022 season, the Red Bull team has been leaving only crumbs for its opponents.
Sergio Perez inherits a pole position without really having to fight for it, as his only competitor, his teammate Max Verstappen, suffers a breakdown in qualifying. Nevertheless, Perez manages to convert it into a victory. This accomplishment is achieved by managing his car so well, as it is clearly superior to the rest.
It’s somewhat the same for the reigning world champion, who effortlessly overtakes his opponents one by one before the halfway point of the race. He sets the fastest lap of the race in the final lap of the Grand Prix, not wanting to let his Mexican teammate take the top spot in the championship.
The entire Austrian team deserves these applause. The mechanics had to work until the last moment before the start of the race to provide a reliable and high-performing car to Max Verstappen. On the strategists’ side, once again, the race management was perfect.
Reinvigorated by a high-performing race car, the Spanish driver regains the passion of his early days. Despite a poor placement on the starting grid that results in a five-second penalty, he executes the perfect race with the equipment he has.
Aston Martin is undoubtedly the second force on the grid. If development continues throughout the year, the English team could give serious trouble to Ferrari and Mercedes, and the Asturian Bull will always be present to capitalize on maximum points and podiums. Perhaps even victories!
Beyond Red Bull’s domination, two hierarchies are emerging. First, there are the direct outsiders, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Mercedes. This second group is still finding its way, with drivers watching each other closely, and in this early season, nobody really dares to openly attack.
On the other hand, behind these teams, fierce battles are raging for the secondary places. There are rookies, drivers who must prove themselves or risk being expelled at the end of the season. Or others who must gain the upper hand over their teammate from the first races. In short, everyone has a good reason to give it their all. We thus have a very animated second group that offers a nice spectacle to the spectators.
FLOP 3
- 1/Ferrari: a blatant lack of performance
- 2/The FIA falls back into its old ways
- 3/A complicated race for Norris
While one could have expected a revitalized Ferrari team to keep up with Red Bull, it is evident that the Italian team has regressed in the hierarchy. Although Charles Leclerc show great determination and had a strong start to the race with an impressive comeback, the rest of the team is not keeping up. Performance (and reliability) are still not up to par in 2023.
The difference in pure performance is enormous: the Red Bull’s top speed is almost “terrifying”. Both in the race and in qualifying, the Italian cars are reduced to mere tokens.
On the strategy side as well, the Italian team still has plenty of room for improvement. On the other side of the garage,
Carlos Sainz seemed lackluster during the race. He surely spoiled his teammate’s end of the race with his false pace.
A third place on the podium that changed owners three times! The FIA falls back into its old habits. While the verdict could have been communicated much earlier in the race, the stewards preferred to delay their decision, whereas in Bahrain, Esteban Ocon was quickly informed.
Thus, one after the other, Fernando Alonso, then George Russell, and then Fernando Alonso again were able to lift the trophy of the last representative on the podium.
At McLaren, the season is shaping up to be long… Very long! Poor Lando Norris paid the price in Jeddah. His car reportedly suffered damage after being hit by loose carbon fiber debris from the incident between his teammate Oscar Piastri and Pierre Gasly.
However, he had an anonymous qualifying session and race while his young teammate managed to take his papaya-colored car to Q3 and livened up the end of the race with some nice overtakes.
The English gave us the impression of completely being at the mercy of events. Could they already be discouraged by the announcement of a challenging new season?
