Sergio Pérez successfully defended his lead position for the first time and triumphed at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. This is a fifth Formula 1 triumph for the Mexican.
Fernando Alonso had warned him the day before, “In terms of pure speed, Red Bull is in another league.”
For his part, Max Verstappen showed patience and shook off his 15th starting position to finish second. The Dutchman attacked each opponent slowly and had the fastest lap of the day on Sunday.
Alonso and Aston Martin will be satisfied, since the Spanish driver climbed to the third step of the podium for a second race in as many attempts. The 41-year-old took first place early in the race, but his illegal grid position earned him a five-second penalty. It is still a 100th career podium for Alonso.
Despite an encouraging start for Lance Stroll, the Quebecer saw his race quickly turn sour. He momentarily took 4th place, but a pit stop allowed the two Ferrari cars to edge him. Then on lap 18, over the team radio Stroll received the order “stop the car, stop the car immediately”.
At the latest news, it would be his operating system that failed.
The two Mercedes cars, driven by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively, took 4th and 5th place. The Scuderia followed with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in 6th and 7th place.
More details will follow.
