#1059 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

The cars are completely new: from a technical point of view, what do you think could make the difference on track this weekend?

"I think that, putting to one side the different car designs, whoever has done the best job in preparing for the season down to the smallest detail, will have a competitive advantage at the start. There are so many new elements involved and whoever has understood the new format better, especially the limitations involved, could have the edge for at least the first third of the season. When I say format, I mean the whole package: the completely new car, the little time available to work on it, the 18 inch tyres and also the fact the drivers must modify their driving style to suit it. All in all, whoever understands the limitations and opportunities of this more compressed weekend format, will have an ace up their sleeve on track".

And looking at the long term, given this is the first of 23 races, what factors could be key over the course of the season?

"Car development will clearly be the main element, but there are other key factors such as on-track organisation, which is my responsibility. Let’s not forget we are embarking on the busiest season ever in the history of this sport, so I think that now, more than ever, it’s the smallest details that can count when it comes to making every task more efficient. One of the aims will be to expand the flow of information between the engineers and the team at the track and those back in the factory".

On Friday, March 25, 2022, Charles Leclerc is the fastest driver on the circuit in the first free practice session, with Max Verstappen trailing him by nearly a tenth. The third time is for Valtteri Bottas, who unexpectedly finishes ahead of Carlos Sainz, putting three Ferrari power units in the top four positions, demonstrating the Maranello team's excellent effort. The problems at Mercedes, meanwhile, persist, with Lewis Hamilton in ninth place and George Russell in fifteenth. The session was halted for 8 minutes after Lando Norris collided with a collapsing signs panel, necessitating the intervention of the marshall to clear the debris from the track. From the start of FP1, there is a rivalry between Alexander Albon and Mick Schumacher, which culminates in a Thai driver obstructing the German driver in turns 8 and 9. The two drivers are summoned by the stewards precisely because of this occurrence, who decide to give Albon his first reprimand of the 2022 season. Max Verstappen starts on the radio during the first free practice session:

"Guys, I smell burning, is my car on fire?"

Following the appropriate examinations, the team informs the Dutch driver that the automobile is in great working order. The powerful burning scent experienced by the Red Bull driver is the result of a fire that broke out 20 kilometers from the circuit at the Aramco factory. The causes of the fire in the oil plant, a missile launched by Yemen's Shiite rebels, the Houthis, were announced in the afternoon. Due to a similar attack just 20 kilometers from the Jeddah circuit, FP2 has been postponed by 15 minutes, and an emergency meeting between the drivers and Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO Formula 1, has been scheduled, followed by a meeting between Domenicali and the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA). Haas team manager Gunther Steiner said, after the meeting:

"We have been assured that it is absolutely safe to race here. After FP2 we will have another meeting. Personally, I feel safe, otherwise I wouldn't be here".

Domenicali's words also soon arrive:

"We are all here, racing here is safe".

The Saudi Motorsport Company responded with a statement saying it is appalled and willing to deploy any resource to assure and guarantee the safety of all Formula 1 guests, drivers, teams, and investors:

"We are aware of the attack on the Aramco distribution station in Jeddah earlier this afternoon. The race organizers remain in direct contact with the Saudi security authorities, as well as F1 and the FIA ​​to ensure all necessary security and safety measures continue to be implemented to guarantee the safety of all visitors to the Formula 1 stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as well as all drivers, teams and stakeholders. The race weekend schedule will continue as planned. The safety and security of all our guests continues to be our main priority and we look forward to welcoming fans for a weekend of premium racing and entertainment".

These are undoubtedly anxious and fearful hours, but the FIA and Formula 1 leaders' decision is clear:

"The weekend program will continue as planned. The safety of our drivers will continue to be our top priority and we look forward to welcoming all fans to this weekend of great motorsport and fun".

So, we begin FP2 15 minutes late in relation to the schedule, with Leclerc proving to be the fastest driver on the track once again. The second-best time, set by Max Verstappen's car, remains unaltered, while Carlos Sainz Jr. improves on prior results by setting the third-best time. Both Ferraris scrape up against the track's side walls, causing damage to the cars and rendering them unable to complete the racing simulation. Charles Leclerc makes the following statement in this regard:

"It was an unfortunate end to an otherwise good day. In FP2 it was a small mistake, but not one that makes me lose confidence. I expected the front to slide around more and I clipped the inside wall at turn 4. Focusing on tomorrow, I think the pace is there. It's a bit of a shame we couldn't get the high fuel laps done, but we should be in the mix for tomorrow".

Similar to his teammate Carlos Sainz’s Jr. words:

"As expected these cars are behaving differently here in Jeddah compared to Bahrain and we keep learning more about how to set up the car for different conditions and corners. Porpoising was a bit of an issue at a certain point but I'm not concerned. As last year, understanding which is the best tire for the race is important for the strategy. Unfortunately, we didn't do the long run at the end of FP2 after I brushed the wall and we had to stay in the garage. We'll see what tomorrow brings".

For his part, the World Champion Max Verstappen sets the fastest time on medium tires after encountering difficulties on soft tires in both attempts: the first due to oversteer, the second due to a virtual safety car imposed on the circuit due to a power unit malfunction on Magnussen's vehicle. These are the statements made by the Dutch driver at the end of the session:

"The sessions ran quite smoothly today, we completed our program and tried out lots of different tire sets. It seems like Ferrari were quite competitive again, we still have a little bit of work to do to catch up with them and there's plenty of room for improvement. The track feels pretty much the same as last year, the barriers have moved slightly and in terms of visibility, it hasn't made a noticeable impact. Looking ahead to qualifying, we still need to look at some data, we'll see how it all goes tomorrow".

Sergio Perez, argues:

"We ran both cars on different programs and I think we got the data we needed, so now we have some work to do tonight. It was difficult to get the lap in I needed to see exactly how we will perform over one lap here because I had a lot of traffic out there. I think it could be another straight shootout with Ferrari on Saturday but at the moment we are focusing on ourselves and hopefully tomorrow we are able to make the steps we'd like with the car. It will be important in qualifying to make sure we get the space for a clean lap because traffic can be a bit difficult around here so we need to make sure we are on it".

Mercedes engines occupy the last seven slots; therefore, they don't even make the top ten. Lewis Hamilton addresses the microphones in this regard:

"It's been an OK day; we still have many of the same problems we had in the last race but we're working through them. It's definitely a little bit harder here with the high- speed corners but the grip is really good on the track and we just need to find some speed on the straights. We'll be heads down tonight, understanding the data from today and putting ourselves in the best position for qualifying tomorrow".

Same attitude for his teammate, George Russell:

"It's great to be back on the Jeddah circuit, extremely high-speed and exhilarating for the drivers, but we are still experiencing the same issues we faced last weekend in Bahrain. We know we still have a lot of work to do to close the gap on Red Bull and Ferrari. We'll be fighting to maximize our opportunities for points this weekend and giving it our all tomorrow in qualifying. Anything can happen around here so it's important we 're in touching distance to capture as many points as possible".

On Saturday, March 26, 2022, Qualifying takes place at 8:00 p.m. local time and lasts for one hour. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is eliminated in the first segment of qualifying for the first time since the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix and the first time he has been eliminated at this stage of qualifying due to lack of pace since qualifying for the 2009 British Grand Prix. Q1 is red-flagged for a crash by Williams' Nicholas Latifi; after the suspension, the first five drivers eliminated are AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda, both Williams drivers Latifi and Alexander Albon, Aston Martin's Nico Hülkenberg, and Hamilton. Q2 is red-flagged following a crash by Haas's Mick Schumacher, from which he is largely unhurt; he is sent to the hospital for precautionary medical scans. After a lengthy suspension, the session is resumed, with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, Schumacher, Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu, and both McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris all eliminated at the end. Ricciardo, who qualifies 12th, is given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Alpine's Esteban Ocon. During the final part of qualifying, Red Bull's Sergio Pérez takes his maiden Formula One pole position ahead of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. for Ferrari in second and third, respectively. As a result of his pole position, Pérez sets a new record for most Grands Prix contested before achieving a pole position with 215. Pérez's Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen qualifies fourth ahead of Ocon in fifth and George Russell in sixth place. While Schumacher is subsequently medically cleared to race, Haas opts to run just one car (with Kevin Magnussen driving) because repairing Schumacher's heavily damaged car would compromise his ability to compete normally at the Australian Grand Prix due to a limited supply of spare parts during the three fly-away races at the start of the season. Sergio Perez is the first Mexican pole man in history.

"Today was very special to me, I achieved the best lap of my life. I feel like I could do another thousand laps and there is no chance I can get the same lap, with the amount of perfection and risk".

Perez recognises the difficulties in driving in Jeddah circuit:

"You have to be very precise, you must take all the risks and the risk to reward is extremely high but the positions you have to take around this place to get the perfect lap are so hard. We came to Jeddah from a very difficult weekend in Bahrain and the Team have been pushing so hard out here and back in Milton Keynes, so I am extremely happy for them all. If anything, we were focusing more on the race pace so we felt Ferrari had the upper hand on us in qualifying. We will see if we have the pace to beat them in the race tomorrow. I need a good start and then I will try to control the race from there it is going to be difficult because the Ferraris are quick and Max will be in the mix too. We have a long race ahead of us but I am confident we can come out on top again".

Max Verstappen congratulates to his teammate for his amazing performance. Regarding his side, today did not gor as he hoped due to the issues with the tyres’ grip:

"In Q1 and Q2 everything felt normal but in Q3 the grip was terrible, I couldn’t extract what I needed to from the tyres and I was just sliding everywhere. In the faster corners I couldn’t push as hard as I would have liked and when you don’t feel comfortable on a street circuit you cannot attack the corners. Of course I’m not happy with fourth and we’ll analyse what happened but we have a competitive car and we have a lot to fight for tomorrow as a Team. I am looking forward to it, hopefully we can have a good race".

Christian Horner is pleased for Checo as he gained his first pole position after 11 years in Formula 1 and 215 starts.

"The Ferraris put down such a competitive marker and for Checo to put in a lap like that at this circuit was unbelievable".

Regarding Verstappen’s issues with the grip, he states:

"Max struggled with grip in Q3 and could not attack the corners as much as he wanted, but starting from fourth he’s still very much in contention".

The Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, highlights the issues he had with the car’s balance:

"The rear end was snapping out and this isn't where we want to be. We went the wrong way with the set up tonight and the car just wasn't underneath me for this session. It's strange because the car was feeling good in FP3 but in qualifying, it was difficult to drive all of a sudden and felt nervous. Everyone is working as hard as they can and trying to stay positive. I'll try my best tomorrow and see what we can do".

He recognises the challenge that Ferrari poses this season so he is incredibly satisfied with today’s results :

"Ferrari are impressive and their car is so competitive, they started early on this project last year, so for us to have Checo on pole and Max up there on the second row in race two, after such an enormous effort last season, is a real testament to the hard work of the entire team".

Mattia Binotto is happy for Ferrari’ second pole of the season. Indeed, a few thousandths separate Checo from the Ferrari drivers.

"I think that the first position could be done, but it doesn't matter. We are very happy to be second and third and even more happy to be competitive".

Ferrari’s car is fast and has been behaving well:

"We are happy, the F1-75 is a versatile car that can adapt well. The drivers are able to exploit it and it's a good starting point. Here they have chosen a lighter configuration. We are faster in the corners, they are faster in the straights: I'm curious to see what will come out in the race. We will probably suffer less from tire degradation, but the speed on the straights will certainly be an element that will be to their advantage. But here we know that anything can happen. Red flags, Safety Car... It will be important not to make mistakes and try to take advantage of every opportunity. We have two cars in front in the first and second row, they will have them too but there are others in the race too. We will have to be ready reactive and focused".

Charles Leclerc claims that the strange thing this weekend:

"Was that we felt better on used tires than on new tires. This led us to not have that feeling with the fresh Soft to make the next step. But talking about my lap in Q3, honestly I'm happy".

On Perez Leclerc says:

"He did an incredible lap. I think he took some risks that paid off in the third sector. Maybe I played it a little safer. I took enough risks in the first two sectors and tried to complete a lap that felt good. In the end we were two hundredths short, so it shows that we never have to give up anything. Today wasn't enough, but the race is tomorrow and I hope to bring a good result home. It will be a very tight fight with Red Bull. It will play out on tire degradation, which is greater than we expected. Not only for us but for everyone. However, we have clear ideas on what to do to make them last, so we have to focus on ourselves. The first two corners will be important: no unnecessary risks, but if we can gain a position it would obviously be better. We'll see".

Carlos Sainz expresses his concerns about his performance with the new tyres because he did his fastest lap with used tyres.

"That's why in Q3, at the first attempt, I had used tires and I did a really good time. Then I put on the new tire and I went 2-3 tenths slower. It's quite a strange thing, which doesn't happen on any other circuit, but it's clear that in the decisive moment of the qualifying you need the best performing compound and I wasn't confident about that".

Of course, Carlos would have preferred to be on the pole since he did a good performance and made progress during qualifying, especially after the issues with set-up and suspension he had during the free practices.

"During free practice, I wasn't up there because I was testing some things I wanted to bring to the car. Especially set-up and suspension, to try to find a better feeling. In qualifying, I put everything together and I was going very strong. I think I made progress, but in the end, the best way to measure it is the race. Let's see how we are tomorrow, if I'm closer on the pace we can fight for the win".

Mercedes team recognises that today’s performance did not fit their expectations. On Lewis’ performance, Toto Wolff says:

"We experimented with a setup that was worse, and the consequence was there was no rear grip and the car became undrivable".

In contrast, he thinks the team, in particular George, made a good effort for managing to take the sixth position considering that they only had one soft tyre for Q3.

"Nevertheless, the optimum scenario for us today was the no-man's-land between the Red Bull and Alpine, and that's certainly not acceptable".

Andrew Shovlin says:

"We know we aren't quick enough at the moment and Lewis exiting in Q1 is just a symptom of that".

The Mercedes engineer says they struggled more on a single lap pace this time than in Bahrein.

"However, the car did look better in race-spec yesterday than on single runs, so we're hopeful we'll have a better package tomorrow. We know the races here don't normally run to plan so there's lots of opportunity to move forward and we'll no doubt gain some useful knowledge along the way".

On Russell, he comments:

"George drove strong sessions and didn't leave much in the car today. The porpoising is priority number one because it's preventing us from running the car where we want it. We've got some avenues which are giving us good direction but it's taking us time to get those as parts on the car. We're leaving no stone unturned and every day we run, we're learning".

George Russell says that it was not a good qualifying day for the Mercedes team because they do not have a handle on the car.

"And we're fighting to get it into this very small window".

However, he says that on our side of the garage, the team managed to get it just inside that window, although he does not why or how they succeeded to do that and on Lewis’ side, they did not manage to.

"When that happens on a circuit like this on a knife-edge, you just don't have the confidence to push it to the limit. As a team, we're not here to fight for P5 or P6, we want more and we were nine tenths behind Checo today, so we've got work to do".

Russell adds that the team knows what the car’s issues is and they are working to overcome them and he has no doubt that they will succeed and get in a good spot.

"We know there's so much lap time on the table, we just can't tap into it. We will get there, I've no doubt. But we've got to be patient. We can be grateful that we've got such a serious issue, but we are still the third fastest team and that offers so much optimism. If we are still the third fastest and we have so many issues, when we solve them, we should be in a really good spot".

On March 27, 2022 the race starts at 8:00 p.m. local time, and lasts for 50 laps. Yuki Tsunoda's car suffers a power unit issue on the way to the grid, preventing him from starting the race. Pérez initially leads from pole position ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen, and Sainz for 14 laps. On lap 15, Nicholas Latifi retires after hitting the wall, which brings out the safety car and occurs just after Pérez makes a pit stop; Leclerc and Verstappen are able to make their pit stops under safety car conditions, allowing them to rejoin in front of Pérez, who illegally passes Sainz, who has also pitted and comes out ahead of him, and has to give back position when the race resumes. During much of the race, the midfield is close; there is a hard-fought battle between Alpine's Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon for quite a few laps where they swap positions multiple times. The battle ends after Ocon is given orders to hold position. On laps 35 and 36, Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo, and Valtteri Bottas all retire within moments of each other due to unrelated mechanical issues. Leclerc cannot keep Verstappen out of DRS after his tyres cool down when a virtual safety car is called out on lap 37. As the race direction declares the pit lane closed until the race resumes, Lewis Hamilton is precluded from a time-advantage pit stop, dropping him from 6th to 12th. On laps 42–43, Leclerc and Verstappen start a DRS battle, in which at turn 27 neither driver wants to take the lead and be vulnerable to a DRS attack in the straight to turn 1. Verstappen takes a full lap lead by lap 46. On lap 47, there is a collision between Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll, ending Albon's race. Yellow flags on turn 1 after the Albon–Stroll incident preclude Leclerc for a DRS offensive on lap 48, and Verstappen wins the race, with Sainz completing the podium. After the race, Kevin Magnussen, Sainz, and Pérez are investigated for failure to slow down after yellow flags; however, no penalties are handed out. It is Verstappen's first win of the season and 21st overall. It is also Hamilton's 180th race start with Mercedes, surpassing Michael Schumacher's record for most started races with a single team. From the Australian Grand Prix onwards, the FIA clamps down on the kinds of tactics Verstappen employs during the safety car restart, where he aggressively accelerates, brakes, and draws alongside Leclerc, trying to seek a tactical advantage, following similar incidents at the 2021 Abu Dhabi and 2022 Bahrain Grands Prix, with drivers expected to drive in a consistent manner during race restarts. Max Verstappen loved the battle with Leclerc, but was somewhat disappointed to have seen his team-mate fall out of the lead:

"It was a tough and crazy race today. I had a lot of fun battling with Charles again, I really enjoyed it and it’s not easy to get past him, patience is always key, especially if you want to fight for the Championship. In the beginning it was pretty difficult to follow but I think once we swapped to the hard tyre we were able to push more and the pace was better. We played the long game on the tyres which seemed to pay off. Towards the end of the race it felt like we were doing lots of quali laps, which was intense but really cool. Ultimately, we were able to win and we can be very proud of that as a Team. It wasn’t easy out there, but I think we maximised all that we could today. It was really unlucky for Checo with the timing of the safety car but we have plenty of races ahead of us where we can make up for it".

Sergio Perez started on pole and controlled the opening phase of the race, but when he came into the pits, Leclerc flew straight past and took him the lead. Perez was then forced to hand third place back to Sainz, and in the end brought his car home to a disappointing fourth:

"I think sometimes when you don’t have the right luck you cannot win the race, especially on crazy tracks like this, it knocks you down. I think I dominated the first stint and I was comfortably in the lead and had the race under control but unfortunately that wasn’t enough. At first, it was a virtual safety car so I was going to lose a position and then under the safety car I lost out to Carlos too. It was the worst timing straight after my pit stop and made regaining P1 impossible after that. It was a bit of a shame I couldn’t get Carlos at the end to be on the podium but I didn’t get the chance. There are definitely a lot of positives to take from this weekend, yesterday putting it on pole and today having the race pace. So, we will keep pushing and working hard because today I really deserved the win but bad timing stopped that. I am really pleased for Max and the Team that we got a good result today, it could have been a one, two but unfortunately, we didn’t get it".

The Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner, congratulates Max Verstappen for his strategic race: he did not take too much out of the tyres and made sure he had enough left to attack at the end. He is not happy because of Perez’ bad luck:

“He drove an incredible lap yesterday to get his maiden pole, he then converted that from the start to keep the lead and was controlling the race beautifully. He pitted on the lap we discussed before the race and then bang a safety car, and he was very unlucky today. It was great for the Team to rebound after the disappointment of Bahrain, everyone has worked very hard over the past week to understand and address the issues that we had. The first two races have delivered great racing between the two teams, Ferrari are very quick and we are expecting the competition to continue over the next few races".

Scuderia Ferrari earned the podium again, with Leclerc and Sainz in second and third position. Charles Leclerc was trying to take the lead off Perez at the beginning, then he managed to do it because of a fortuitously timed Safety Car. From there, he regarded in management, however a late Virtual Safety Car helped Verstappen to move up to the second position. From there, the Ferrari driver defended arduous, dropping and retaking the lead twice, even if then Verstappen succeeded in his undertaking:

"Although I’m disappointed to lose the victory so late in the race, it feels good to be fighting for wins again. Whenever I had a bit of margin to Max, I could manage the race well. But after the Virtual Safety Car, as soon as he got in the DRS range, it became difficult. He was fast in the straights and I was fast in the corners. You have to play on your strengths as much as possible when it’s this tight. I regained my position twice but the third time it did not work out. I could have possibly had another opportunity if it weren’t for the yellow flag at the end of the race, but that’s part of the game. It was a really fun battle! I hope it stays this close for the coming races. It’s exciting to watch and to drive like this. Development will be key and we have to push hard".

Carlos Sainz Jr. is satisfied of his result:

"P3 is a good result and overall, this has been a fairly positive weekend, definitely better than one week ago in Bahrain. I feel we are going in the right direction with this car and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before we are fighting a bit further up the order. We have a clearer picture of where and what we need to improve and we have a direction to follow. I can’t wait to go to Australia after two years without racing there".

The Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto, is happy for the great show of the evening with two strong drivers fighting for the win. He says for Ferrari the season started in the right way, with 78 points scored over the two races, out of a possible total of 88:

"That’s definitely a significant figure and we can be pleased about it. Charles and Carlos both did well and were clear thinking, especially at the key moments, which helped in bringing home as many points as possible. A few incidents affected the outcome, but having said that, congratulations to Max and Red Bull who were very strong today. We move on from a positive weekend and head for the next two rounds in Melbourne and Imola, where we will try to get the most out of our car".

For Mercedes this weekend has been difficult if we talk about results. Russel has been able to maximise the potential points, giving the team something to work on in view of the upcoming races of the Championship. It is important to underline that for the first time, Russell managed to end the race ahed of team mate Lewis Hamilton:

"The car felt good but we're just lacking downforce because we can't get the car to run close to the ground. We got the car in a nice window and I was pushing as hard as I could, it was probably the most physical race I've experienced in F1, 50 laps at the limit on a fast street circuit - I just want to be doing it fighting for victory. Everybody is working as hard as they can to close the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari, every single person at Brackley and Brixworth wants more and we'll continue to push until we close that gap. This first part of the season isn't packed with races, the calendar isn't too dense, so it gives us some time to find solutions. We aren't here to fight for P5 but you've got to take the positives. The race was enjoyable to drive, this track is probably in the top five of the year, incredibly fast and with fantastic grip".

Lewis Hamilton, who started in sixteenth position, ended tenth; he declares that the car is good, but not fast enough and at the same time he struggled with tyre temperatures at the beginning, even if then he started to gain on the cars on the Medium tyre:

"We were unlucky with how the VSC played out at the end but I was giving it everything. Yesterday made the weekend so much harder and I take that on my shoulders. It's gutting but we need to keep fighting, it's all we can do - I know I've got a great team and we'll just keep our heads down".

Toto Wolff declares that there is clearly a lot of work to do in order to get into the fight at the front. For him:

"George managed his race well and scored the maximum we could have hoped for today without any incidents ahead of him. For Lewis, it was always going to be a difficult afternoon from P15. The first Safety Car came too early to run to the end on Medium, so we stayed out like other cars that started on Hard; then we missed the opportunity to box just before the pit lane closed under the VSC, which cost us a couple of positions. The overall picture is sobering, and it's clear that we need to continue working hard if we wish to deliver a stronger performance in Melbourne".

Now we have to wait for the next stop of the 2022 World Championship: the Australian Grand Prix, which returns for the first time since 2019 and is set to take place on April 08-10 at the Albert Park circuit. Max Verstappen and Red Bull are now on the scoresheet but Charles Leclerc still owns the lead of the championship.