Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez impressively held off team-mate Max Verstappen's charge from 15th on the grid to seal a Red Bull one-two at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Alonso led into the first corner after beating pole-sitter Perez off the line, but was soon overtaken by a Red Bull car that he simply didn't have the pace to compete with. They had enough time to really inform about the penalty. I celebrated with the champagne. "I was on the podium, I did pictures, I took the trophy. In the end, it's a massive team result." "We've been really close here and really close in Bahrain - we are living in very small margins at the moment. Russell was wrong, because Alonso had served his five-second penalty during the only round of pit stops, but his words turned out to be something of a premonition, with the second penalty saga still to come. Today we didn't put on a good show, I think, for our fans." Alonso had started the race too far to the left of his pit box, and his second infringement came because the rear jack was in contact with the back of his car while he served his penalty during his pit stop. Verstappen complained over team radio in the closing stages that something was "wrong" with his car, but had enough pace to claim the extra point available for the fastest lap in the closing stages, which keeps him above Perez at the top of the world championship standings. Alonso went up on the podium after finishing in third ahead of George Russell on the track but was then demoted to fourth after being handed a 10-second penalty for incorrectly serving an earlier five-second penalty he had incurred for starting in the wrong position. A technical failure in qualifying had left Verstappen with only faint hopes of victory, but he looked in with a strong chance when a safety car helped him move up to second and within six seconds of his team-mate before the race reached its halfway stage.

Sergio Pérez held on for another street circuit victory, this time winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Russell explained in the post-race press conference that Australia’s tarmac is similar to Jeddah’s, and he expects a similar order at the race in two weeks. - Red Bull caused some panic in the final 10 or so laps. Alonso may not be challenging the Red Bulls, but he’s managing to stay ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari, two F1 powerhouses who are struggling this year. Alonso dominated much of the grid for a second consecutive race, fighting Pérez at the start before settling into third as one Red Bull and then another pulled ahead. This was the part that failed during qualifying. But teammate Max Verstappen, who finished second, maintains the lead in the championship standings after recording the fastest lap of the race on the last lap.

Red Bull's Sergio Pérez was triumphant in the second race of the season with Max Verstappen runner-up and and Fernando Alonso third.

After Verstappen came through the field and pit stops, the safety car helped him to move up to second behind Pérez and it was a done deal. Out front, alone in clean air, both cars were routinely a full second a lap quicker than the rest of the field. It was far from a thriller under the floodlights at the Jeddah Corniche circuit; rather more a showcase of what increasingly looks to be the indisputable advantage Red Bull hold. As the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, observed when told he was P2 in the championship: “Yeah, the first loser.” “When we were fast we weren’t that fast – that is the fastest car I have seen, especially compared to the rest. When finally concluded it meant George Russell remained in fourth and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, a glimmer of improvement for Mercedes after a trying first race of the season.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen drove from 15th to second to give Red Bull a 1-2 finish Sunday ...

“Tough race after an unlucky start with damage to both cars on the opening lap. “In the circumstances, we considered that our original decision to impose a penalty on Car 14 needed to be reversed and we did so accordingly.” It took him only a few seconds to pass Russell and Alonso didn’t last long, either, making it a Red Bull shootout. The show on Sunday was Verstappen, who overcame a mechanical problem in qualifying that forced him to start 15th and quickly worked his way up the grid. There have been no signs of an offseason drop in performance and Russell, who did the post-race news conference as the third-place finisher but was then dropped to fourth after Alonso’s penalty was reversed, predicted after the season-opener that Red Bull would win every race this season. Made it too difficult to turn things around. “You can’t apply the penalty 35 laps after the pit stop. McLaren struggled again with Oscar Piastri 15th and Lando Norris down in 17th. He thought he served the five-second penalty, but the race stewards docked him another 10 seconds post podium celebration. At least Leclerc finished, after retiring in Bahrain, but he wasn’t happy. He was briefly leading the championship standings until Verstappen slipped ahead by logging the fastest lap. Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race for his 100th career podium.

Sergio Perez earned his first win of the 2023 Formula One season with a dominant performance at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

#F1 Perez is told to target a 32.6 - Verstappen's pace - and asks why he was told to previously target a 33.0. That's seven spots gained since the start for the Red Bull. Fernando Alonso has dropped to fourth place in the #SaudiArabianGP after he was handed a 10-second penalty post-race penalty for not serving a 5-second pit penalty correctly. #F1 #SaudiArabianGP Verstappen was told four times by GP to target 33.0, but kept his pace below that #F1 #SaudiArabianGP Lap 12, Verstappen cruises by Hamilton for P8. It has gone in Alonso's favour. LAP 24/50

Verstappen breezes by Alonso for second ✌️

Only race-leader Perez is ahead of him now#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/xSCaXVE68n Still waiting on the official documents to be published but the decision has been reversed and he regains third place #F1 #SaudiArabianGP https://t.co/uNOMBa96BO

The lion from the Netherlands is F1's most recent world champion and his rapid rise to the top has been very impressive. Max was able to deny a red-hot ...

Max is well placed to launch another assault on the World Drivers’ Championship this season and is the favourite according to the bookies, with odds on him winning his third consecutive championship are as low as 1/4 (1.25). [Sergio Perez](https://punditfeed.com/sports-news/formula-one/drivers/sergio-perez/) was drafted in to help Max fight for the world championship in 2021. Max was only in F3 for one season before being picked up by Red Bull and placed in the sister Toro Rosso team. The Red Bull hierarchy had seen what Max was capable of in karting and wasted no time securing the young talent. His father has been a driver for a multitude of teams in Formula One, and his mother has competed in karts. That season, he could seemingly start from anywhere on the grid and finish on the top step of the podium, as was the case in the Belgian Grand Prix where he had to start P14 because of penalties and still found a way to the podium. It was a season of Max’s dominance in which he won fifteen of the twenty-two races. Max proceeded to absolutely crush Pierre in that time, and the Red Bull hierarchy decided that Alex Albon from the sister team would be a more competent teammate. Max was still an unpolished diamond, and the next two seasons saw him rack up podium finishes and win a few races, but it was clear that he needed more time at the top. He had a great rookie season and finished 12th in the driver’s standings. He was the youngest driver to ever start an F1 World Championship race when he lined up with Max was able to deny a red-hot Lewis Hamilton his 8th world championship and help Red Bull break Mercedes’ 8-year hold on the constructor’s championship.

So far, that is just what it is doing. Sergio Pérez breezed to Red Bull's second victory in two races on Sunday, capturing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a ...

Red Bull, he said, “is on another planet.” But when the 25th lap arrived, that was right where he was: P2, or second place, with only his teammate Pérez ahead. Verstappen, meanwhile, was picking his way through the pack behind him with ease. “Red Bull is in another league,” Alonso had said before the race. Red Bull, he said, [might just win every race](https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/64856910). [the first race of the Formula 1 season](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/sports/autoracing/formula-1-race-bahrain.html), he had declared the chase for the season championship over.

A frustrated Max Verstappen said he was "not happy" finishing second as he and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez were given permission to race each other at ...

"We talked in the briefing [before the race] saying, 'you're free to race, but you keep it clean'. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton said of the Red Bulls: "I've definitely not seen a car so fast. I certainly got different information." I think he could be more gracious." We have to do better, absolutely - a cleaner weekend would be nice. "But personally I am not happy.

Toto Wolff jokes about Max Verstappen's retirement from the Saudi Arabian GP qualifying.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen drove from 15th to second to give Red Bull a 1-2 finish Sunday ...

“Tough race after an unlucky start with damage to both cars on the opening lap. “Time to get our season back on track in Australia.” “In the circumstances, we considered that our original decision to impose a penalty on Car 14 needed to be reversed and we did so accordingly.” The show on Sunday was Verstappen, who overcame a mechanical problem in qualifying that forced him to start 15th and quickly worked his way up the grid. There have been no signs of an offseason drop in performance and Russell, who did the post-race news conference as the third-place finisher but was then dropped to fourth after Alonso's penalty was reversed, predicted after the season-opener that Red Bull would win every race this season. “I think it's more of a FIA poor show today more than disappointment for ourselves," Alonso told broadcaster Sky as he awaited results of the Aston Martin appeal. The 3.8-mile circuit beside the Red Sea is the quickest street track in F1 with average speeds exceeding 160 mph, which suited Verstappen. “You can’t apply the penalty 35 laps after the pit stop. Perez started on pole with Alonso on the front row alongside him. At least Leclerc finished, after retiring in Bahrain, but he wasn’t happy. He was briefly leading the championship standings until Verstappen slipped ahead by logging the fastest lap. Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race for his 100th career podium.

Max Verstappen may have been happy with his performance at Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but the two-time world champion was still not pleased to ...

“The team could not see anything, but I'm fairly sure there was something odd going on with the balance since the vibrations started to kick in. So, once I got into P2, it was quite a decent gap on a track where there is not a lot of deg.” When asked how long he hopes Red Bull can maintain their gap to the rest of nine teams, Verstappen replied: “Well, I hope of course a long time. [READ MORE: Perez fends off Verstappen to win action-packed Saudi Arabian GP as Alonso loses podium following time penalty](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.perez-fends-off-verstappen-to-win-action-packed-saudi-arabian-gp-as-alonso.329xV14gKVrf1iU6dOkISI.html) While the Dutch driver came through the field and finished second, about 20 seconds ahead of George Russell – He added: “Of course, I recovered to second which is good, and in general the whole feeling in the team, everyone is happy, but personally I'm not happy, because I'm not here to be second.

JONATHAN MCEVOY IN JEDDAH: The rest of the cast were bystanders at best, or animals to the slaughterhouse to put it in more graphic, depressing and terminal ...

And Alonso was in the second quickest car, which, through his enduring skill, he actually outdrove for much of the 50 laps under light bulbs. The win was Perez's fifth. The extent of Red Bull's dominance was clear in the fact Verstappen came from 15th on the grid – a result of a driveshaft failure in qualifying – to contest the lead and finish second. At 41, the Spaniard's skills remain pin-sharp. He started third and finished fourth behind Alonso, 26 seconds off the top. Other than failing to overhaul Perez, his progress up through the field was crushing.

F1 fans have called out Max Verstappen's father over the post-race act in Saudi Arabia. More here.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proved to be another thrilling race, adding to the captivating start to the Formula 1 season. Despite a number of nervy moments ...

. "(Red Bull Team) You are free to move forward, you can do it," was heard through the Mexican driver's radio. Checo had other ideas and refused to obey his team's orders. [Sergio Perez prevailed to win the race and celebrated ](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/19/6417777722601d614c8b45a2.html)with his Red Bull team. [Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proved to be another thrilling race](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/19/64175fc822601dbc3f8b45ba.html), adding to the captivating start to the Formula 1 season. [FIA stewards deny Alonso a podium finish](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/19/641775f222601daf218b45d7.html) [Checo Perez takes masterful win ahead of Verstappen and is serious title contender](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/19/64175fc822601dbc3f8b45ba.html)

Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by just over five seconds from Red Bull teammate Verstappen, after the pair spent the second half of the race trading ...

“They told me I had the fastest lap and to keep the pace at a certain pace. “I was just thinking about the car and just making sure… “I just felt like there was a point where, for the last 10 laps or so, we had very similar pace – within a tenth faster or slower. “First of all, we were free to race and of course, we had a target lap time to the end. Verstappen promptly replied, “but I am”, and took the fastest lap point away from Perez on the very last lap. Verstappen then asked about the fastest lap, only to be told that the team were “not worried about that”.

Despite Verstappen making an incredible gain during the Saudi Arabian GP up into second place, as well as taking the fastest lap point away from his teammate ...

The Dutch driver paid the price for a drive-shaft failure in Saturday's qualifying that left him fighting from 15th on the starting grid in Jeddah while Perez ...

But when you're fighting for a championship and especially when it looks like it's just between two cars, you have to make sure that also the two cars are reliable." "I gave it a go at the end [for fastest lap] so luckily it worked out." "And then you have to do a recovery race, which I like.

As a former F1 driver, Jos was an ideal mentor for the young Max with him being able to give the budding racer plenty of knowledge from his days behind the ...

Snatching the fastest lap away from Sergio Perez despite Red Bull telling their drivers to keep to a certain pace was “typical Max” Verstappen says Helmut ...

And there was no reason for us not to let either he or Checo have a crack at it.” “Nevertheless, Sergio had a phenomenal racing speed,” he added. “Max didn’t manage to catch him at the end. “Both drivers had the info of Checo had the fastest lap at that point,” Horner revealed. [Saudi Arabian GP driver ratings: Super Sergio Perez, sub-par Sainz and Norris nightmare](https://www.planetf1.com/features/saudi-arabian-gp-2023-driver-ratings/) [Saudi GP conclusions: Red Bull fast but fragile? He added to ORF: “Typical Max on the last lap with the fastest race lap.

Max Verstappen's 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Edition Padaparadscha trading card fetched crazy numbers at auction as bidders battled to secure this ...

“It’s always exciting to see a star athlete’s trading card market heat up. Max Verstappen’s 2020 Topps Chrome Formula 1 Sapphire Edition Padaparadscha trading card was released as a special Sapphire Edition parallel in Topps’ inaugural Chrome F1 set – the odds of finding this card were just one per 605 packs. Verstappen’s stock as a Formula 1 driver has never been higher than it is right now, the Red Bull star a two-time World Champion who at this stage seemingly has only Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez as competition in his quest to make it three titles in a row.

Nico Rosberg hits out at Max Verstappen for his attitude after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Last week, we highlighted for you that Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen might be a robot. In a brilliant piece by our own James Dator, ...

Your son put together a tremendous drive to fight through the field, salvaging a second-place finish despite starting near the back of the field. Despite starting the race in 15th place, after his RB19 suffered a driveshaft failure during the second qualifying session on Saturday, Verstappen charged through the field to finish in second place, behind his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez. It was a remarkable effort from Verstappen, and he leaves Jeddah leading in the Constructors’ Championship by one point over Pérez, thanks to posting the fastest lap of the race.

Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but had the fastest lap taken away from him on the last lap by Max Verstappen, who has no regrets as "there's ...

Verstappen said what he did was "normal", adding: "We were free to race and, of course, we had a target lap time to the end. But Verstappen clearly had only one thing on his mind and, with just a few laps to go, asked his race engineer who had the fastest lap and was told: "We're not concerned with that." I think it's quite normal that you ask what the fastest lap is." "Both were constantly asking who had the fastest lap and Max, of course, has to the last waited a moment so that Perez could no longer counter. Perez was on course to secure the extra point for fastest lap, which would have been enough for him to leapfrog the defending champion. But it was not enough to wrestle top spot in the championship away from Verstappen.

Andrew Benson doubts Sergio Perez can keep up his strong form against Max Verstappen over a full season...