SAUDI ARABIA: With lights going out at 8 pm Saudi local time, the 18 cars that lined up on the grid bursts forward with Sergio Perez on pole position for the first time. What followed next was a thrilling battle for victory between the Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and the Oracle Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Verstappen beats Leclerc eventually by just 0.5s in an epic finish at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This was Max Verstappen’s 21st win that fetched him his first points of the year. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz secured the third position whereas Verstappen’s teammate the pole-sitter Sergio Pérez who finished fourth was unable to convert his first career pole into victory.
Mercedes driver George Russell finished fifth ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who took the sixth position defeating McLaren’s Lando Norris by just 0.1 seconds.
Pierre Gasly made up one place to P8 for AlphaTauri, with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen ninth from 10th on the grid, and Lewis Hamilton taking the final point from his P15 start for Mercedes. Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu received two penalties and missed out on the second consecutive points finish.
Stroll, Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Alonso, and Ricciardo, were the five drivers not to make the flag.
“Wow, that was close, wow, unbelievable!” Oracle Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner told Verstappen over the radio. He further added, “Well done, Max great, great job,”
“Well done to Max, that was nice,” said Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race results: Top 5
1. Max Verstappen of team Red Bull, Time taken: 1:24:19.293, Points: 25
2. Charles Leclerc of team Ferrari, Time taken: +0.549, Points: 19
3. Carlos Sainz Jr. of team Ferrari, Time taken: +8.097, Points: 15
4. Sergio Perez of team Red Bull, Time taken: +10.800, Points: 12
5. George Russell of team Mercedes, Time taken: +32.732, Points: 10
Team Points After Race: Top 3
1. FERRARI, Points scored: 78
2. MERCEDES, Points scored: 38
3. FERRARI, Points scored: 37
Jeddah Corniche Circuit and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a 6.174 km racing circuit located on the Jeddah Corniche adjoining the Red Sea and the track is placed between the island mosque and new marina which is 12 km away from Jeddah city centre.
The circuit is fast with an average speed of 252km/h which is second only to Monza. It is the fastest street circuit in Formula One and the track is the second-longest track on the Formula One calendar after Spa-Francorchamps.
Carsten Tilke, son of Hermann Tilke, a well-known architect behind many F1 Circuits is the architect behind this street circuit and has worked closely with F1’s Motorsport team to design a track that puts overtaking at the heart of the project. The circuit staged the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021 under floodlights.
Coming next in the Formula One season for 2022 is the ‘Australian Grand Prix’ which is scheduled from April 8 to 10, 2022, at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.
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