This past weekend resulted in another double podium for Red Bull. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are not newcomers to the podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as they formed a double podium last season as well.
However, the way Red Bull achieved their 1-2 was done a little differently this time around. Last season was not the starting spot that Max Verstappen would have liked as he had an issue early in Q2 of qualifying that forced him to be down in 15th. Teammate Sergio Perez picked up the pace and found himself on pole position for the race.
Sergio Perez did have his hands full at the front for the beginning of the 2023 race. Fernando Alonso had electric pace and was able to beat Perez to Turn 1 and lead the grid for a few laps. Perez took his spot back from Alonso on Lap 4 and led until the chequered flag.
Max Verstappen’s race last season was one of his very best despite being one of the four races he did not win. With the qualifying debacle, Verstappen had a lot of work to do starting towards the back of the grid. He would go on to make up 13 spots finishing five seconds behind his teammate but achieving the quickest lap for an extra point.
Ferrari did not have the pace they would have wanted last year with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing 6th and 7th. Leclerc improved his number grabbing a podium, and with Sainz have surgery it was Oliver Bearman who got the call up from F2 and drove phenomenally for the same spot that Sainz had last season.
Fernando Alonso notched his second straight podium of the year last season at Saudi Arabia, and followed it with a solid P5 this season. On the other hand, Lance Stroll has had less fortune with back to back DNFs.
The biggest improvement between the two races is McLaren. After a disastrous start to last season, including Saudi Arabia where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both finished in the bottom 6– were able to score great points for the team with Piastri notching P4 and Lando at P8.
Alpine had success at this track last season that included both French drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing in the points at P8 and P9. Although the debacle of their season continues as Ocon dropped to P13 and Pierre Gasly recording the first DNF of the season in the very first lap.
The Red Bull dominance continues and if there is anything to take away from last year’s Grand Prix, it does not look like it will end anytime soon.