Max Verstappen continues to be completely unstoppable. The three-time world champion dominated the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and, except for a short period of time, led practically from start to finish in Jeddah. He also missed the fastest lap.
Race summary
The start of the race was uneventful. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) maintained the lead from pole position without his position being threatened. Sergio PĂ©rez (Red Bull) briefly held second place, but Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) reacted to regain the position. By the time DRS was enabled on the second lap, Verstappen already had a lead of over one second.
On the fourth lap, PĂ©rez definitively moved into second place, breaking Leclerc’s resistance. In fourth was Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), followed by Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes). Further down, Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) was putting on a solid performance in 11th, although he couldn’t advance from that position.
On the seventh lap, Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes) hit a wall, spun out, and collided with the barriers, prompting a safety car. This situation was seized by several drivers to make their first tire changes, including the frontrunners who switched to hard tires. Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes) did not pit and took over the lead.
LAP 7/50
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 9, 2024
Stroll into the barriers
He tells his Aston Martin team he's okay
⚠️ SAFETY CAR ⚠️#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/5eaIiGItkw
In the pit stops there were some hiccups and near incidents, and Leclerc had to stay stuck for a bit longer due to traffic. The restart happened on lap ten and Norris stayed in front of Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) in third… who also hadn’t changed tires.
On lap 13, Verstappen returned to the lead with an easy overtake on Norris… who was under scrutiny due to a possible false start. However, the British driver was eventually cleared… but would lose position on track to PĂ©rez, who was at risk of a penalty for an unsafe pit lane exit… which he did receive, with five seconds added to his final time. Leclerc naturally recovered to fourth place.
LAP 25/50 CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 9, 2024
Halfway đź‘€#F1 #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/QPQd88q52i
No major changes at the front, the top five stabilized with Verstappen leading, PĂ©rez in second, Leclerc in third, Norris in fourth, and Hamilton in fifth. The seven-time champion changed tires on lap 37, switching to new softs, a move that dropped him down to ninth. Norris responded and pitted a lap later, returning to the track just ahead of Hamilton in eighth. Nothing changed in their battle, or in the top ten, except for Guanyu Zhou (Kick Sauber/Ferrari) retiring after his only tire change.
Thus, Verstappen was a comfortable winner with over seven seconds ahead of PĂ©rez, with Leclerc third more than ten seconds behind the Mexican and setting the fastest lap. Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes) secured an encouraging fourth place ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes), with George Russell (Mercedes) in sixth.
In his debut after limited practice, Bearman had a solid race and finished seventh ahead of Norris and Hamilton. The final point went to Nico HĂĽlkenberg (Haas/Ferrari) in tenth.
