Lewis Hamilton Said red bull Built the fastest Formula One car he’s ever seen Sergio Perez passed Max Verstappen to beat Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
Perez took the win from pole position at the Jeddah Corniche circuit, while Verstappen surged from 15th to 2nd after a mechanical failure in qualifying.
George Russell was third after Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was demoted following a controversial 10-second post-race penalty. Hamilton finished fifth.
Red Bull moved into another stratosphere this year, and a one-two finish two weeks after dominating the season-opening race in Bahrain could be cause for major concern for F1 bosses ahead of a record-breaking 23-round campaign. prize. Red Bull has won 12 of the last 13 races held so far.
Russell said at the season opener that he expects the Milton Keynes team to win every round this season. It did little to dispel my predictions.
Both Perez and Verstappen were over a second a lap faster than their rivals. Alonso finished 20.7 seconds behind Perez, but Perez eased the pace in the closing stages. Hamilton saw Verstappen past the breeze after just 12 laps, half an hour later.
“I’ve never seen a car this fast,” Hamilton said.
“I don’t know how, but he [Verstappen] He passed me at a good speed, but I didn’t even bother to block him because of the huge speed difference.
“Everybody wants to see a close match, but that’s the reality. It’s not my problem, it’s not my fault.”
The 41-year-old Spaniard, who is making a remarkable comeback with Aston Martin, gave some excitement in the opening moments when he zipped past Perez at the first corner.
But Alonso’s slim chances of winning for the first time in a decade were dealt a fatal blow when he was handed a five-second penalty for starting from the position. Perez had already taken the lead when he came in to take the punishment when he changed tires.
His Aston Martin mechanic touched his car when he served his penalty, resulting in a second sanction and refusing to allow the Spaniard to score his 100th podium finish.
Hamilton started seventh and was the only main player to start the race on the hard tire (slower but more durable compound), with the British driver struggling with speed.
He dropped to eighth when Charles Leclerc ran in on lap eight, then fell behind Verstappen into ninth. He was also shown a black and white flag by the stewards for what he had previously woven in the straight while trying to hold off Leclerc.
However, his night suddenly turned around when Lance Stroll broke down in his Aston Martin on lap 18.
By that time, Verstappen was already in fourth place. The race restarted on his 21st lap and the Dutchman was second with light work from Russell and Alonso.
This is Red Bull’s speed and Alonso didn’t even fight to pull away from Verstappen, risking losing time to Russell and Hamilton in the final podium battle.
Hamilton looked ready to launch an attack on Russell, but his challenge did not materialize. He took the checkered flag 5.1 seconds behind his teammate.
“I’m still not confident in the car, but I’m doing the best I can,” he concluded.
“We struggled in qualifying so I am happy to turn it into a positive. George scored a great result and some good points for the team.”
