Sergio Perez wins Saudi GP as Fernando Alonso stripped of podium finish

19 March 2023 , 18:25

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Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from pole position, despite briefly losing the lead to Fernando Alonso (Image: Getty Images)

The Red Bulls dominated the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to secure back-to-back one-two finishes to start this Formula 1 season.

But there was controversy involved this time as Max Verstappen was given a significant helping hand. He finished second behind team-mate Sergio Perez after successfully nursing home his car despite suffering from a problem with his drive shaft.

It was a similar problem which meant he started 15th. Verstappen was climbing the leaderboard anyway in the early stages but got a huge helping hand when Lance Stroll had to stop. The safety car came out, though TV cameras showed the Aston Martin appeared to be out of danger.

"From the initial camera angles available the exact position of the stopped car (STR) was unclear, and therefore safety car was deployed as the safest option," was the FIA's explanation. But some fans online were critical of the decision which worked to Verstappen's advantage.

Fernando Alonso and George Russell were powerless to stop him moving past when the race got going again, and they finished in that order third and fourth behind those Red Bulls. But Alonso was demoted to fourth behind the Brit after the race for failing to properly serve an in-race penalty.

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Lewis Hamilton was fifth after gaining a few positions, while Ferrari will be very disappointed to only manage sixth and seventh with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc respectively.

Alonso got off to a dream start and moved past Perez to take the lead of the race at the first corner. But he was soon brought crashing back down to earth as he was given a five-second time penalty for not being lined up correctly in his grid box.

Sergio Perez wins Saudi GP as Fernando Alonso stripped of podium finish

Max Verstappen got a cheap pit stop thanks to a controversial safety car (Luca Bruno/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

It was a good start for his team-mate Stroll also, who wasted little time before moving past Sainz in the first few laps. He was hunting Russell next, while Perez and Alonso were beginning to pull clear of those battling behind him.

Hamilton took a risk by starting on the hard tyres but was struggling as a result. "I have no grip," he complained over the radio as he was being reeled in by those behind him. First Leclerc made light work of the overtake with his softer tyres, before Verstappen had the Brits in his sights.

After a couple of laps he also breezed past the Brit, who did not even attempt to defend against the much faster Red Bull. Meanwhile, back at the front, Perez was starting to drop Alonso and had broken the one-second DRS barrier – though it was only after the Spaniard had been told to preserve his tyres.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes got the better of the Ferraris in Jeddah (Getty Images)

Ferrari's strategy department has taken more than its fair share of criticism in recent times, but earned praise for a nice bluff they pulled on Aston Martin. They told Sainz over the radio to pit and their rivals reacted by pulling Stroll in – only for Sainz to then stay out to enjoy the free air he now had in front of him.

When the Spaniard pitted he came out ahead of Stroll. But the Canadian was soon to stop anyway, told to retire from the race with a mechanical issue. As he stopped on the track, the safety car was deployed and those who were yet to pit dove in for fresh rubber.

There were questions over whether or not the safety car was needed as Stroll's car appeared to be out of danger. It meant Verstappen was up in fourth and right on the tail of those in the podium places for when the green flags flew again.

Lance Stroll's stricken Aston Martin appeared to be out of danger (Sky Sports)

He was all over Russell and, behind them, Hamilton was faring much better on his new medium tyres and it wasn't long before he got the better of Sainz to take fifth place. And the moment DRS was enabled again, Verstappen got his rear wing open and breezed past the other Mercedes.

It wasn't long before he was ahead of Alonso and into second place at the half-way mark. He was lapping marginally quicker than his team-mate Perez but the Mexican was doing a good job of maintaining his five-second advantage and was looking good for the win.

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Verstappen was complaining over the radio about his drive shaft problem but managed to reach the chequered flag with no terminal issues. Perez was also worried about his brakes but, again, it was not a problem which ever threatened to ruin his race.