Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – Race perspectives

Will Hamilton finally take the lead again?

Since the Brazilian Grand Prix, nothing seems to be able to resist the seven-time world champion! Equipped with his thunderous engine, the Briton signed a new pole position this Saturday, his 103rd in his career.

If we thought things would be simple enough on this track, it was not the case at all. Hamilton had to roll up his sleeves and sign a perfect lap to reach his goal. At the same time, his good time put pressure on his rival Verstappen who pushed too hard in the last corner and let slip away a pole position that was promised to him.

The Mercedes driver will be eager to maintain his superb statistic where he has consistently won on a new track since 2020. A victory would allow him to further reduce the gap in the championship or potentially even take the lead for the first time since the Russian Grand Prix. As we approach the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, the moment seems opportune!

Will Verstappen manage to make people forget his mistake?

There was only one small corner left… Unfortunately, the Flying Dutchman pushed a little too hard in a turn that, seen from an onboard camera, was absolutely breathtaking.

His mistake sends him back to third place at best because given the violence of the impact, it would not be unlikely that the gearbox is damaged, which would be absolutely terrible news for the Austrian team.

Nevertheless, Verstappen’s strength of character is beyond doubt and there is no doubt that the Red Bull driver will do everything in his power to limit the damage or even go for the win if the opportunity arises.

Will Bottas manage to contain Verstappen?

He holds one of the key roles in awarding the two world titles of this magnificent 2021 championship. Indeed, Valtteri Bottas did the job this Saturday by ensuring a 100% Mercedes front row behind his team leader Lewis Hamilton.

The Finnish driver now faces the difficult task of making a good start from the dirty side of the track in order to keep the Red Bull of Max Verstappen behind him. As a reminder, this had absolutely not worked in Brazil or Qatar, with Verstappen making a much better start each time.

With a good result on his side, Mercedes could take a big advantage in the constructors’ championship and Bottas could also stake a claim for the 3rd place in the championship against Pérez. Anecdotal for many, certainly not for these two protagonists!

A new podium for Leclerc?

Great performance from the Monegasque driver! After a violent crash in free practice 2, Leclerc then found his pace to brilliantly outpace Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull and Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri, both in great shape before entering Q3.

The Ferrari driver is the only representative of his team after Carlos Sainz left to fold his rear wing at the end of the first sector of Q2. He will therefore have the responsibility of bringing back the big points of the team to definitively secure Ferrari’s 3rd place among the constructors against McLaren.

But beyond that, on a track where the smallest mistake comes at a high cost, Leclerc could take advantage of any race incidents ahead of him to secure his first podium since… the British Grand Prix this summer. An eternity for this regular of the midfield!

Will the AlphaTauris hold up during the race?

With its front runner in 6th position and its second car in 8th place, AlphaTauri is the only team outside Mercedes and Red Bull to have placed both of its cars in Q3 in Jeddah.

A great performance for the Faenza team but it raises once again questions about its true race pace as well as its good tire management. Indeed, 15 days ago in Losail, the two drivers had achieved brilliant qualifying results, with Gasly even starting from the front row for the first time due to penalties.

However, the race was a real cold shower for Franz Tost’s men with a catastrophic race pace, precarious grip, and much too excessive tire wear.

AlphaTauri therefore has the opportunity to show this weekend that the lessons of the Qatar Grand Prix have been learned.

Will everyone be present at the end of the first round?

It’s THE big question that everyone is asking with this spectacular circuit! With its amazing speeds and its almost equally disconcerting narrowness, the Jeddah circuit has already made a name for itself even though it has not yet completed its inaugural edition.

With an error margin close to zero and a tight first turn close to the grid, the first lap and the funnel of turn 1 could cause damage within the pack, and it would not be surprising to see the safety car on track by the end of the latter.

So which driver will emerge victorious from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

The start of the Grand Prix will be given this Sunday starting at 6:30 p.m.