By Pesha Magid, Reuters agency.- The Dutch pilot Max Verstappen he won Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from pole position on Saturday and Red Bull continued his dominant start to the season Formula 1 with a second double in the same number of races.
The Mexican Sergio Pérez was second on Jeddah Corniche. Last year’s winner took the checkered flag 13.643 seconds after his teammate and triple world champion.
It is the first time Verstappen, who won a record 19 of 22 races last year, has triumphed in the first two races of a season.
Charles Leclerc he finished third for Ferrari, taking an extra point for fastest lap and taking his first podium of the season.
The victory was the ninth in a row for Verstappen, a streak that dates back to Japan in September last year, and the 56th in the 26-year-old Dutchman’s career.
It was also the 100th podium of their career, while Red Bull’s 115th win lifted them ahead of Williams into fourth place on the all-time charts.
“Overall it was a fantastic weekend for the whole team and for me. I felt very good with the car and it was the same in the race,” said Verstappen.
The British Oliver Bearman, who debuted with Ferrari in F1 as the youngest driver, at 18 years and 305 days, after the Spanish Carlos Sainz was left out due to appendicitis, finished seventh and was chosen Driver of the Day.
“Today he was incredible,” Leclerc said of his temporary teammate. “It’s impressive and I’m sure he’s very proud. Everyone has realized how talented he is and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before he’s in F1.”
Oscar Piastri was fourth for McLaren, with Fernando Alonso fifth for Aston Martin and George Russell sixth for Mercedes and the first of the four British drivers who followed each other across the finish line.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was eighth and Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion, ninth for Mercedes. Nico Hulkenberg added the last point for Haas.
The safety car came out on lap seven after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll hit the wall and crashed into the barriers at Turn 22.
The Canadian emerged unharmed while the rest of the drivers, except four – including Norris and Hamilton – entered the pits.
Norris, who was later cleared of an alleged early start at the start, was leading when the new safety car, an Aston Martin Vantage, returned to the pits on lap 9, but Verstappen was back in front on lap 13 and crashed out. his advantage increased.
Perez received a five-second penalty for an unsafe start at his first pit stop and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Williams’ Alex Albon.
The Dane later received another 10-second penalty for running off the track and gaining an advantage, but his main function was to create enough of a gap behind Hulkenberg so that the German could pit and still finish with a valuable point.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly had to pit and park on the first lap due to a suspected gearbox problem, becoming the first DNF of the season after all 20 cars finished the opening race in Bahrain a week before. (Written by Alan Baldwin in London, Edited in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)
Source: Ambito
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