Perez takes the chequered flag at Saudi Arabia in his dominant Red Bull. Max stormed through the grid to finish P2. Alonso got the final spot on the podium after some confusing decisions by the FIA.

Street King Perez in Saudi Arabia

There is a reason why Sergio Perez is called the King of the Streets. While he missed the start with Alonso getting ahead on the first corner, Perez soon overtook Alonso in his rapid Red Bull and then there was no looking back. Red Bulls are just too dominant and currently there is no other team in the position to challenge for the top spot. Perez was very much in control of the race, he managed the tires well and made sure he finished well.

For a brief moment there was a possibility that Max may challenge Perez for the race win. However the possibility was soon dusted as Max had some drive-shaft issues and he settled for the second position. Max also got the fastest lap on the final round thus keeping the lead in driver’s championship. He just drove amazingly well, storming the field from P15 and coming right till P2 and almost about the snatch victory.

Positive Alonso in Aston Martin

Alonso has had a great 2023 season so far. After the initial positive race in Bahrain many wondered whether the performance can be replicated in Jeddah or not. Alonso did not disappoint his fans. Starting from the front row he took the lead of the race but was unable to keeping the Red Bull of Perez behind. But he very well managed to keep the Mercs behind and comfortably finished P3. But then there was confusion. The FIA handed him a 10 second penalty post race for not serving the 5 second penalty properly. This decision was then over-turned after Aston Martin challenged the penalty, stating that they were well within their rights and did not break any law. His team-mate Lance Stroll was having a good race too but had to retire due to engine issues.

No Performance for Ferrari

Ferrari would be very much disappointed with their performance in Jeddah. Forget challenging the Red Bulls, Ferrari was not even able to catch up with the Mercs and the Aston Martin of Alonso. Carlos Sainz Sr and Charles LeClerc finished P6 and P7 respectively. Carlos just didn’t have the pace to challenge the Mercs. Charles did well to move from P12 to P7 but then he couldn’t do much beyond this. Ferrari really needs to figure things out and get their performance correct if they want to challenge for race wins and championship.

Mercedes were just average

The good news for Mercedes is that they were able to keep the Ferraris behind them. The bad news is that they were not even able to challenge Alonso in an Aston Martin, powered by their Mercedes engine. George did a job and finished P4. Hamilton struggled on the hards but finished P5. Mercedes really need to up their performance in the coming races to match their high standards.

Alpine was in the middle of nowhere, finishing as the best of the rest. Ocon finished P8 and Gasly P9. Magnussen got the last point in his HAAS. It was another disappointing day for McLaren with both the drivers having wing damage and finished back of the grid.

Saudi GP Top 10 : Perez wins the race

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Perez makes it to the Pole at Saudi Arabia in his dominant Red Bull. Favourite Max Verstappen had a drive shaft issue and he got out in Q2.

Perez on Pole for the second time in Saudi

The Red Bull just looks too dominant, like a Mercedes in its hey day. Max Verstappen, the two time world champion and the current leading driver, comfortably topped all the practice sessions. He was everyone’s favourite to be on Pole. However an unexpected drive shaft issue forced him to retire in the Q2 session. He will be starting P15 in the race. Saudi being a street circuit will be difficult to overtake but trust Max to make the most of the situation. It will be interesting to watch him try to move up the grid in the race. A podium finish cannot be ruled out given the form he is in and the how good the car is.

Perez meanwhile made the most of the situation and took his second Pole at Saudi. He was also doing good in Saudi but couldn’t match Verstappen’s pace at any point. He is now more like Bottas to Hamilton at their peaks. Still Perez would be looking to make the most of the opportunity provided to him and get the race win.

Ferrari couldn’t match Red Bull

Unlike last year it seems that Ferrari are a few tenths behind the Red Bulls. On top of that Max is in great form and Ferrari has no answer to them. Charles LeClerc is good at stringing together a nice lap in Quali and this time was no different. He extracted the maximum possible from the Ferrari and put his car on P2. However he had to change his control electronics which incurred a 10-place grid penalty. So he will be starting P12 in the race.

Carlos Sainz Jr menawhile had a scratchy Quali session, made too many mistakes, especially in the first sector and he will be starting P4 in the race.

Aston Martin and Alonso continue their good form

Everyone was wondering where the crazy pace of Aston Martin was just a one-off in Bahrain or is there more to it. The Saudi track is very different to Bahrain and Aston Martin kept their pace here too. Alonso put in a superb lap to finish P3 and he will be starting from the front row, thanks to Charles’ penalty. Lance Stroll, still not 100% recovered, was not bad either and he will be starting P5.

Mediocre Mercedes

Just like 2022, Mercedes this year too is all over the place. They are not fight for the front and they can be anywhere competing with the Ferraris to be being behind the Aston Martins. Both Hamilton and George look increasingly dis-illusioned with the car and just want to move on. Still George put in a decent lap when it mattered and will be starting P3 in the race. Lewis lacked the pace and he will starting P7.

The Alpines looked decent and both Ocon and Gasly managed to get in the top 10. Norris hit a wall in Q1 and that ended in Quali session but rookie team-mate Piastri did a great job and he will be starting from P8. Logan Sargeant looked good in Q1 but his lap time was deleted for track infringement and then he just couldn’t get a good lap in.

Saudi 2023 Grid : Perez and Alonso on the front row

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Sergio Perez picked up his first victory of the season at a dramatic Monaco Grand Prix after a howler from Ferrari cost Charles Leclerc a home F1 win.

Strategy error by Ferrari

Polesitter Leclerc looked comfortable in the lead during the early stages. However, a calamitous strategic error from Ferrari dropped him down to fourth. He went behind Perez, his teammate Carlos Sainz and championship rival Max Verstappen. 

A heavy downpour delayed the race by an hour. Then the race started with all cars being forced to be on extreme wets. Conditions dried out and the track was fully dry by the end.  

There was also a lengthy red flag suspension when Mick Schumacher suffered a huge crash at the swimming pool.

Behind the leading quartet came Mercedes’ George Russell, who pipped compatriot Lando Norris to fifth by just 0.263s. George continues his streak of being in the top 5 in all the races this season.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso finished 34s behind as he headed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in seventh. Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel completed the points-scoring positions for Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin. 

How did Ferrari get it so wrong?

Leclerc – who had never before scored a point at his home race and didn’t even start last year after topping qualifying – drove flawlessly in the opening stint but was left fuming when Ferrari spectacularly dropped the ball. 

Red Bull called Perez in for intermediates first with the track drying out. Then Leclerc and Verstappen responded two laps later. 

Perez’s pace advantage meant that he leapfrogged Leclerc and things would only get worse for the Monegasque when he pitted again three laps later, after being told to switch onto slicks.

Ferrari also brought in Sainz, who had run longer on the full wets. They ended up having to double-stack its drivers which cost Leclerc crucial time. 

Leclerc had originally been told to pit before Ferrari changed their mind, but it was too late for Leclerc to react as he had already committed to boxing. 

He remerged on the track behind Perez, Sainz and Verstappen and was understandably furious. 

“Fuck, fuck! What are you doing?” Leclerc screamed over team radio as he realised Ferrari’s error. 

Mick Schumacher had a heavy crash. There was red flag. However the finishing order was pretty much decided with overtaking at Monaco almost impossible.

Ferrari’s strategic errors forfeited a front-row lockout and enabled Red Bull to gain with both cars, as Perez rose from third to claim his third career win – and first at Monaco – and Verstappen crucially jumped ahead of his main rival. 

The result means Verstappen has extended his championship lead to nine points over Leclerc, while Perez is only six points behind the Ferrari driver. 

Driver’s Championship : Monaco wins keeps Perez close to LeClerc

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