(REUTERS)
Follow the latest updates from the Saudi Grand Prix as Sergio Perez starts at the pole for the first time in his F1 career. The Mexican made a perfect lap in the narrow streets of Jeddah in Q3 to be placed in the front of the grid, where he will have the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in his mirrors starting second and third. Perez teammate Max Verstappen starts fourth, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in fifth place and Mercedes’ George Russell sixth. Lewis Hamilton starts the race 15th after a disastrous qualifier that saw him fight and leave in Q1. Meanwhile, a Saudi GP marshal stepped down 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 the unnamed marshal, writing in Arabic, would not play another role in the weekend of the fight in Jeddah. Mick Schumacher suffered a high-speed collision during the qualifiers and was airlifted to hospital and the 23-year-old will not participate despite receiving a positive evaluation after medical tests. Follow all the latest updates from Saudi Arabia below.
F1 Grand Prix Saudi Arabia LIVE
Show last update 1648399989
Horner gives priority to the “clean match” for Red Bull
Sergio Perez starts ahead of Max Verstappen for Red Bull for the second time since becoming teammates in early 2021 and team leader Christian Horner says his priority is for both drivers to complete a clean race. “Ceco made an incredible round yesterday, the round of his life,” Horner told Sky Sports F1. “We hope to have a good car for the race, we really do not know what the racing pace of Ferrari is. We have a very good end to the straight speed, we have limited the car a bit and we can be a little lighter in the tires. “The most important thing is a clean slate.” Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:53 PM 1648399774
Magnussen hopes to succeed in the fight with the neck muscles in discretion
Kevin Magnussen says he is looking forward to competing in the Saudi Grand Prix for the first time and hopes his neck muscles can withstand the pressure of the Jeddah Circuit. The 29-year-old returns to F1 after a year and talked about the neck pain he suffered yesterday in the qualifiers. “It’s a new track for me, not one of the easiest tracks, I’m so happy to be doing this race,” Magnussen told Sky Sports F1. “[Physically] I will just try to get over it as best I can. I’m very happy Mick [Schumacher] it’s okay, that comes first and everything else is not important. “ Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:49 PM 1648399593
Ferstappen does not expect grace from Pereth
Max Verstappen starts fourth in Saudi Arabia tonight, but does not expect any favors from his teammate Sergio Perez, who starts at the pole. The Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz separate the two Red Bulls at first, but the world champion does not expect the Mexican to hold Scuderia high to help him move on. “I’m looking forward to it,” he told Sky Sports F1. “We have a good battle in our hands with Ferrari. We have good speed in the straight and they are strong in the turns, so let’s see what works best. It is not Cheko to do a job [by holding the Ferraris up for me]the point is to score as many points as possible. ” Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:46 PM 1648399433
Leclerc hopes for a “clean race” in Jeddah
Charles Leclerc says he hopes for a “clean slate” around Jeddah this afternoon. The Monegasques won the start of the season in Bahrain last weekend and will be second on the grid behind pole sitter Sergio Perez in Jeddah. “I hope it’s a good match!” He told Sky Sports. “The pace of the match seemed quite strong [in free practice], we are in the mix and there were no real problems. “We need to have a clean race that is very difficult on a track like this.” Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:43 PM 1648399086
Tsunoda was officially eliminated from the match
Alpha Tauri team leader Franz Tost says Yuki Tsunoda is out of the Saudi Grand Prix due to an engine problem that caused him to lose power on the way to the grid. “I do not know exactly what happened yet, but it looks like something in the drive system and we have to stop,” Tost explained. “He will not fight.” With Mick Schumacher also absent after his qualifier yesterday, only 18 drivers will take part in the race, Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:38 PM 1648398593
Sainz driving to the grid with the car problem solved
Whatever the issue with Carlos Sainz’s car seems to have been resolved, as the Spaniard has left the garage and is making his way to the grid. The cable loom was obviously the cause of concern, but after 40 minutes of operation the car is ready. Ferrari has a great opportunity to put pressure on pole sitter Sergio Perez with both cars behind him. Perez has not started a race since before his days at GP2 in 2010. Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:29 PM 1648398525
Tsunoda jumps out of the car and will not start the race
Yuki Tsunoda has now jumped out of the car, which the marshals are pulling out and loading into a truck. It seems that the Japanese driver will not take part in the race as things stand, Alpha Tauri had an engine problem in Bahrain, with Pierre Gasly’s car catching fire as he retired due to a power outage and it looks like something similar has happened to the team here. Dan Austin27 March 2022 17:28 1648398430
Tsunoda stops in orbit on the way to the network
Yuki Tsunoda has a big problem, with the Alpha Tauri car stopping dead in the middle of the circuit as it made its way to the grid. The Japanese driver missed yesterday’s qualifying session with an ignition problem and has stopped completely dead on the track at the moment. “I lost the camera!” The 21-year-old shouted on the radio. Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:27 PM 1648398173
Verstappen enjoys the battle with Leclerc
Max Verstappen says he enjoys the battle with Charles Leclerc at the front for Formula 1 races and says that knowing the Ferrari man so well from their young careers makes the momentum different from what he endured with him. Lewis Hamilton last season. The pair took part in a great battle for the lead at the start of the season in Bahrain last season, with Leclerc finally taking the win while Verstappen was forced to retire. “I have known Charles for a long time [than Hamilton] “I’ve been fighting him for a long time,” Verstappen told Sky Sports. “I really liked what was happening in Bahrain. “Every driver has small changes in the way he defends or attacks, but you adapt to it.” Dan Austin March 27, 2022 5:22 PM 1648397753
Mick Schumacher hails F1 safety technology after high-speed crash at Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Mick Schumacher hailed the safety technology in Formula 1 cars after a high-speed accident without damaging the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia. Schumacher hit the wall with a force of 33G as he pushed to try to enter the top 10 of the qualifiers. The 23-year-old was transported by helicopter to a hospital for further examinations before returning to his hotel and will not take part in today’s race. “I feel good,” Schumacher said as he returned to the yards on Sunday. “Being able to stand here without anything, not even pain, just shows the safety of these cars.” You can read the whole story here: Dan Austin27 March 2022 17:15
