![]() ![]() Watch this video – “What does Duly Noted mean?”.Hulkenberg, Zhou, De Vries, Piastri, Sargeant and Norris followed in a close midfield group, with Bottas a lapped 18th and the last of the finishers after a late extra stop, as Albon and Stroll watched from the sidelines thanks to their earlier technical issues. ![]() With Russell back to P4, Hamilton took fifth, ahead of the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc, while Ocon, Gasly and Magnussen completed the points-paying positions, the latter grabbing his reward with a DRS-assisted move on Tsunoda on Lap 47. READ MORE: Fernando Alonso's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix podium reinstated after review He also became just the sixth driver – behind Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost and Kimi Raikkonen – to take 100 podiums in F1 history. However, Alonso and Aston Martin were investigated post-race for serving their penalty incorrectly due to the rear jack mechanic starting his work too early, resulting in a 10-second time addition and dropping them from P3 to P4 – briefly promoting Russell to the podium as a result.īut following a Right of Review from Aston Martin, the stewards would reverse their decision, meaning that – after a 10-year wait for a rostrum appearance – Alonso appeared on consecutive podiums. The scares were nothing more than that, however, as Perez and Verstappen – trading fastest lap times amid some confused radio messages from the Mexican about whether they were both still pushing – made it to the flag and backed up their performance at the season opener with another one-two result, as Alonso joined them on the podium again in his Aston Martin. When the grid formed up and the lights went out – with most drivers opting for medium tyres – Alonso sent the crowd wild as he bolted off the line to snatch the lead from Perez into Turn 1, with Russell slotting into P3 ahead of Stroll and Sainz. There was some further drama when he left the pit lane to take up his P15 grid slot, with brake fluid leaking into the cockpit, but mechanics were quick to make adjustments and Verstappen set about trying to emulate his recovery from 14th to victory at Spa-Francorchamps last season.Īnother driver out of place was Leclerc, who fell from P2 to P12 on the grid amid further power unit changes at Ferrari, meaning not one but two drivers lining up well out of position and an already tantalising pre-race dynamic being given another exciting layer. Upon reviewing the decision, however, the stewards ruled that Alonso’s P3 would stand, reversing their call and pushing Mercedes’s George Russell back to P4 – Alonso becoming just the sixth driver to earn 100 F1 podiums.Ī dramatic qualifying session set up an intriguing grid for Sunday’s race under the lights as pole position favourite Verstappen dropped out at the Q2 stage due to a driveshaft failure, meaning the Dutchman would need to charge his way through the field in his repaired RB19. Verstappen progressed to P2 in rapid time though ultimately had to accept defeat to Perez, with the reigning world champion managing additional driveshaft concerns late in the race after the same component failed during qualifying.Īlonso impressively took the lead from Perez into Turn 1 but a subsequent time penalty for lining up outside his grid box, coupled with the relentless pace of the Red Bulls, meant he had to settle for third place.Īlonso’s rear jack mechanic was later judged to have touched the car before his penalty had been served, the Spaniard receiving a further 10-second penalty after the race that dropped him to P4. READ MORE: Perez details ‘intense’ finale after holding off Verstappen to win at Jeddah Perez overcame an attack from Alonso at the start, a nervy Safety Car period and Verstappen’s charge from the midfield to make up for the potential win he lost at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit a year ago – kick-starting his 2023 championship hopes in the process. Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin on the podium again with a fine drive, before being stripped of P3 and then having it reinstated after a stewards’ review. Sergio Perez converted pole position into victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as team mate Max Verstappen recovered from P15 to make it successive one-two finishes for Red Bull.
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