Max Verstappen defeated Charles Leclerc in a classic F1 battle at the Saudi Grand Prix with the Red Bull star winning by less than a second in Jeddah. Sergio Perez had started at the pole for the first time in his F1 career, after the Mexican made a perfect lap in the narrow streets of Jeddah in Q3 of the qualifiers to be placed at the front of the grid. However, on the day of the race, an unsuitable safety car saw Perez fall from the pole to fourth place and then could not overtake Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari to take last place on the podium. Mercedes’ George Russell was sixth after qualifying and climbed to fifth in the race, ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. Lewis Hamilton started the race 15th after a disastrous qualifier that saw him compete and leave Q1, but the seven-time world champion climbed to 10th place with 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 the unnamed marshal, writing in Arabic, would play no other role at the weekend of the 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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Norris praises new generations of F1 cars
Lando Norris secured a strong seventh place for McLaren in Saudi Arabia to give the team the first points of the 2022 season. The 22-year-old ran with Esteban Ocon for the line, but just lost sixth place for a few tenths of a second and hurried to praise the results of the new generation of cars in overtaking. “They helped us a little with the safety car,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “The end was good, we had the opportunity to score some good points, better than we expected. “You can move on, but there is a much better chance that the guy will be able to take you again.” (Getty Images) Michael Jones March 28, 2022 12:04 1648464917
Team ranking
Ferrari dominates the manufacturers rating after two impressive appearances in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. George Russell’s P5 in Jeddeh means that Mercedes remains in second place, but Red Bull has climbed to the leaderboard thanks to the victory of Max Verstappen. Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:55 1648464596
What is DRS in Formula 1, what does it mean and how does it work?
If you’ve been a fan of Formula 1 in recent years, you’ll probably be familiar with the term ‘DRS’ – the system that allows for virtually more overtaking. Since its introduction in 2011, DRS has become a vital part of the sport. It represents the Traction Reduction System and is an adjustable part of the rear wing, which, when opened, improves speed by 10-12 km / h. This does not sound like much when cars are already traveling at around 300 km / h, but it can make a difference on a long straight. Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:49 1648464176
“Every race has to be this way,” says Leclerc
Charles Leclerc lost the 2022 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with just 0.549 seconds in a thrilling duel with Max Verstappen. Leclerc took the lead after pitting under the first Safety Car after leader Sergio Perez decided to pit just one lap ahead of him in green. Leclerc seemed to be reaching his second victory of the season with Max Ferstappen unable to catch him. However, the Red Bull driver closed after a delayed Virtual Safety Car and passed Leclerc for the lead after an incredible duel at the end of the race. Leclerc spoke after the match and enjoyed his match with the champion, although he was disappointed that he did not reach the top. “It was not enough today, but oh my God, I really enjoyed the fight,” he said. “Again, they were tough fights but fair. Every fight has to be this way. It was fun. I’m naturally disappointed – I wanted to win today. It was very, very difficult. I tried to have the DRS in the last corner. He worked twice, but not the last time. “We were fast in the corners but quite slow in the straights because we put more vertical force, so it was extremely difficult to cover Max in the straights. “But it’s kind of like that – it did a great job and it was a fun race.” Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:42 1648463756
“Work to do” for Hamilton and Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton had a weekend to forget in Saudi Arabia after failing to make it through the first qualifying round. He was about to start the race 16th on the grid, but Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren was penalized on the grid by putting Hamilton in the P15. The seven-time Formula One world champions finished in sixth place, but a late pit-stop knocked him out of the points before leaving for Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso securing him a P10 finish. Hamilton’s race was also affected by the timing of the closure of a pit lane caused by the incidents of the last two drivers. “Personally, I feel like I maximized everything,” Hamilton explained. “I do not know if we managed as a team, but it is what it is. Move on. “It was a difficult case. I saw Alonso slowing down, it was double yellow flags, so I did not push to overtake him, then Daniel was stuck in the pit lane, so I did not know if I could enter [the pits] with the car sitting there. It just wasn’t great. Anyway, it’s what it is. “The lessons are there that we are quite out of rhythm and we have a lot of work to do.” Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:35 1648463396
Max Verstappen reveals “clever tricks” to defeat Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia
Having been forced to retire to Bahrain a week ago was a much more enjoyable outing for Verstappen, who again seems likely to be the top contender for the Drivers’ Championship. The rising rivalry of the couple could be typical of the season and Verstappen enjoyed their battle in Saudi Arabia Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:29 1648463036
Lewis Hamilton does not know the rules of F1 points after the ‘s ***’ Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia
Although Mercedes is once again struggling to meet its rivals for speed as the team struggles to adapt to renewed aerodynamic regulations, the seven-time world champion managed to reach sixth place before entering the race late to fall back onto the court. . He was able to win two places in the last rounds to get a place in the top ten. Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:23 1648462496
Lewis Hamilton points to two areas for Mercedes improvement after Saudi Arabia GP
Lewis Hamilton has chosen the need for “more grip” and “more power” as areas for improvement for Mercedes after the Saudi Grand Prix. The German team was again out of rhythm in Jeddah, with Hamilton fighting to tenth place after qualifying for the grid. George Russell finished fifth, but could not offer a realistic challenge to either Red Bull or Ferrari, who were in the top four. An out-of-season review of aerodynamics has proved to be to Mercedes’ detriment, with the “seal” being a persistent problem and Hamilton and Russell apparently lacking a straight line. Hamilton believes some parts of the car’s performance were better in Saudi Arabia, but admits there is a big gap that needs to be filled. Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:14 1648462167
Disappointed Perez discusses the misfortune of the safety car
Speaking after the race yesterday, a frustrated Sergio Perez told Sky Sports F1 about his accident with the safety car, which cost him three places from the lead, after he pitched shortly before Nicholas Latifi hit the wall. Perez qualified for the pole position, but Latifi’s misfortune meant he could only win fourth place for Red Bull. “This is just a fight, especially in this place where we knew we could be in this situation,” Perez explained. “Things looked very good, but unfortunately Latifi put it on the wall at the wrong time for me. It hurts because we did everything we could to win this race from pole. He will be back at some point. “ (Getty Images) Michael Jones March 28, 2022 11:09 1648461536
“The P5 was the maximum,” says Russell
Mercedes’ George Russell put the team in the top five on race day, beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the qualifiers to secure sixth place on the grid. After the race, Russell claimed that his P5 finish was the biggest he could hope to achieve on Sunday night. “The P5 was the highest today,” he said. “We would love to have more, but the car was really nice to drive. We know what we are missing and that is downforce, but I think we got the car in a very nice window in this race. “I was pushing as hard as I could and it was very nice. It was probably the most physical race I have ever experienced in Formula 1, which was nice to push the body to the extremes. This 50 lap rally on a track like this, high speed, was nice. But I want to do this by fighting for victories, not alone in the P5. “You always want to get the positives out of a difficult situation, but we are not here to be content with that. We can not go away and be happy with it. “ Michael Jones March 28, 2022 10:58
