A controversial weekend in Jeddah at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix left Formula 1 divided and with mixed feelings about the future of the race. Max Verstappen wins a thriller to beat Drivers’ Championship leader Charles Leclerc, who continues to show Ferrari potential in 2022. The Red Bull star won by less than a second, with Sergio Perez, who had started at pole for the first time in his F1 career hit with the bad luck of the safety car. Ferrari finished the podium with Carlos Sainz in third place, but despite Mercedes’ problems, George Russell shows his category in fifth place. While Lewis Hamilton had a nightmarish weekend, seemingly influenced by his car and his feelings for Saudi Arabia when he said he “just wanted to go home”, the seven-time world champion remained in 10th place by the checkered flag. Meanwhile, a Saudi GP general had resigned after saying on Twitter that he hoped seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had an accident similar to Romain Grozan’s fiery accident in Bahrain in 2020. A governor’s spokesman said that 1 the anonymous marshal, writing in Arabic, would play no other role in the weekend fight in Jeddah. Follow all the reactions to the events in Saudi Arabia and a look at Melbourne after an exciting start to the 2022 Formula 1 season:
F1 news and reaction to the Saudi Grand Prix
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Toto Wolff denies turning a blind eye to prevent drivers from boycotting Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix
Toto Wolff has rejected suggestions that there was any “twist of hands” to persuade drivers not to boycott the Saudi Grand Prix after Friday’s terrorist attack. “There was no turning of our hand,” Wolff said. “There were good discussions and when the team leaders spoke to the drivers, I think what we talked about was logical and not at all pressured, but maybe that was perceived differently. “In the end, the show and the spectacle were amazing and what we offered as a sport was great and I think that’s what sport should do.” Jack Rathborn29 March 2022 17:04 1648569070
George Russell on the Mercedes seal problem
George Russell admits that the wind tunnels do not help Mercedes deal with the seal phenomenon that has damaged Mercedes’ performance at the beginning of the F1 season of 2022. Mercedes has been hampered by the inflation phenomenon with the W13 not being able to reach as low as their rival cars, ruining their lap times. “I think we are doing everything we can to get back to our base to try to emulate the problems we see in orbit,” Russell added. “The wind tunnels do not really choose that [porpoising] As we orbit, our aerodynamic tunnel is an isolated environment and the circuit has so many parameters in play. “We have the smartest people in the business and we all believe in our people at their base, so I’m sure we can solve it.” Jack Rathborn March 29, 2022 4:51 p.m. 1648568290
George Russell admits Mercedes ‘behind Red Bull in all areas’
George Russell had admitted that Mercedes is “behind Red Bull in all areas” after two races in the Formula 1 season of 2022. “Everything looked better when we started the engines for the qualifiers and we were relatively equal to Ferrari in terms of speed in the straight,” said Russell. “The Red Bulls certainly ran less than us, but they seemed to accelerate very fast when they came down straight. “They seem to be doing a better job of reducing their resistance at high speeds and their pace at the moment is excellent. “We have to do a little work in all areas to close the gap.” Jack Rathborn March 29, 2022 4:38 p.m. 1648567510
Max Verstappen confirms F1 to discuss Saudi Arabia’s future
Max Verstappen has confirmed that all drivers will discuss the future of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with F1 after a controversial weekend. The race was overshadowed by a terrorist attack at a nearby Aramco oil facility, just six miles from the track, before Friday’s practice. “Regarding the race here, well, we had a lot of guarantees that of course we would be safe,” said Verstappen. “I think after this weekend, all the drivers together, we will talk to F1 and of course to the team bosses to see what happens in the future.” Jack Rathborn March 29, 2022 4:25 PM 1648566730
Max Verstappen provides racing information according to the new F1 rules
“Even after that, he was constantly in the DRS and then with the yellow flags in the final lap, just knowing how much you had to lift, whether allowed or not, was difficult,” said Max Ferstappen after the victory in Saudi Arabia. , with Charles Leclerc fighting to the checkered flag. “It seems that as soon as you get very close, because when the cars are approaching in half a second, you can have a good exit. I think this makes it much harder to really make the transition to the last corner compared to last year, so it’s a lot harder to plan your pass. “But I am very happy that we have finally started the season.” Jack Rathborn March 29, 2022 4:12 p.m. 1648566070
Toto Wolff praises Lewis Hamilton
“The encouraging thing is that his pace on the hard was positive,” Wolff said, referring to the Briton’s opening appearance on the tire. “We could not say if it was fast, but it was positive. “Alonso was slowing down during the lap, Ricciardo broke down at the entrance and we told him to come in, but there was a double yellow with a car slowing down and a property, so it was a confusing situation. “It passed and it slowed down because of the confusion that made us go back [Kevin] “Magnussen, then the game is over.” Jack Rathborn March 29, 2022 4:01 p.m. 1648565290
Toto Wolff admits he endured “exercise with humility” after a difficult start to the F1 season for Mercedes
Toto Wolff admits he is enduring an “exercise of humility” following Mercedes’ tough start to the 2022 F1 season. “We have had the luxury of being right in the middle of these fun games for the last eight years,” said the Mercedes team manager. “In fact, luxury is the wrong word. We were right in the middle of these fun games at the front, and speaking of being Formula 1 stakeholders, we’re enjoying a great show that is really impressive to watch. “On the other hand, it’s extremely painful not to be part of these fun games with a fairly large lap time. “We are not going to rest until we return to the mix. It’s not fun at all and exercise humility. It will make us stronger, even though it is not fun at the moment “. Jack Rathborn29 March 2022 15:48 1648564510
Haas estimates $ 1 million damage to Mick Schumacher’s car after accident in Saudi Arabia
The German driver escaped without serious injury despite the significant high-speed collision with a concrete wall. The 23-year-old had lost control after leading the curb to turn 10. The team chose to compete in only one car in the race in Jeddah, with Kevin Magnussen finishing ninth. Guenther Steiner, the leader of the Haas team, explained that very few parts of the car survived the incident unscathed. Jack Rathborn29 March 2022 15:35 1648563730
Charles Leclerc admits Max Verstappen understands DRS mind games
Charles Leclerc admits that Max Verstappen understood the DRS mind games to overtake his Ferrari and win the Saudi Grand Prix. “I knew my weakness was speed on the straight compared to Red Bull,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1. “He worked once and after the second he understood, so he braked very early. It was fun, I like that race – the new regulations definitely work. “ “It was difficult today. I will look back on the fight, but I do not think I could do much more. An opportunity we missed with the yellow flags in Turn 1, so we did not have the DRS there where it could be an opportunity to be next to Max at the end of the straight. “We work very well as a team. “I think the only thing would be a lower level of vertical force.” Jack Rathborn March 29, 2022 3:22 PM 1648562950
Confusion in Lewis Hamilton after the ‘s ***’ result in Saudi Arabia
Lewis Hamilton seemed to admit that he did not realize that he had won a point for Mercedes despite the ‘s ***’ result to finish 10th in the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia. Speaking on the radio after the race in Jeddah, Hamilton racing engineer Pete Bonnington said: “Okay Lewis, so this is the P10. “Sorry about that. It’s a bit like a *** result given the hard work.” Hamilton replied: “Is there even one point for this position?” “Yes, we have a point,” Bonnington confirmed. Hamilton then concluded: “It was a difficult day at the office guys, but thank you very much for your effort.” Jack Rathborn29 March 2022 15:09
