Perez led the Red Bull driver's double at the 2023 Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second round of the 2023 F1 World Championship, was held on Sunday, and Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez drove an impressive race to win the event.
But his teammate Max Verstappen was even more impressive, recovering from 15th place to finish second, giving Red Bull a one-two finish.
Third place went to Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who also drove brilliantly despite his setbacks. His podium was the 100th of his career.
In the final race, Perez started from pole position and Alonso from the top grid. Alonso got a better start, but was later penalized by the stewards for adding 5 seconds to his lap time. The two then swapped positions, but Perez made up positions and held on to the lead until the end of the race.
Alonso also received a 10-second penalty after one of his mechanics was deemed to have touched the car while taking the first penalty. By the end of the race, Alonso was back in fourth place, with Mercedes-Benz AMG's George Russell in third.
Further back, Verstappen was gradually improving his position as he passed driver after driver without any problems. However, on lap 37, with only Perez in front of him, Verstappen reported a strange noise coming from his car and decided to slow down, fearing it was the same driveshaft problem that had plagued him in qualifying. Verstappen had to settle for second place, but earned bonus points for the fastest lap.
Unusually for a race in Saudi Arabia, there was only one safety car. The safety car was brought out on lap 18 when Aston Martin's Lance Stroll was instructed to stop his car after the team discovered a problem.
After this weekend, Verstappen leads the 2023 drivers' championship with 44 points. Perez is second with 43 points and Alonso is third with 30 points. In the constructors' championship, Red Bull leads with 87 points, while Aston Martin and Mercedes are tied on 38 points. The next race is the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks.
Below are the complete results for the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) +5.355s 3) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +20.728 seconds 4) George Russell (Mercedes-Benz AMG) +25.866s 5) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Benz AMG) +31.065s 6) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +35.876s 7) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +43.162 seconds 8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +52.832s 9) Pierre Gasly, Alphatauri +54.747s 10) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +64.826 seconds 11) Hiroki Kakuda, Alfa Tauri +67.494s 12) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas, +70.588s 13) Guan Yu Zhou, Alfa Romeo +76.060 seconds 14) Nick de Vries, Alfa Tauri +77.478s 15) Oscar Piatri, McLaren +85.021 seconds 16) Logan Sargent (Williams) +86.293 seconds 17) Lando Norris (McLaren) +86.445s 18) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +1 lap NC) Alexander Albon, Williams - DNF NC) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin - DNF [19]
