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Two races into the 2022 Formula 1 season and there is no doubt that it will be at least a two-horse race -- and perhaps a four-horse race -- as Max Verstappen was able to get his Red Bull Racing car past the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in the final laps to snatch the race victory at the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia.
The win will help Verstappen and his team breathe a little easier, as a double DNF at the season-opening race in Bahrain meant, coupled with Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr.'s one-two finish, put them in an early hole.
The gremlins that plagued Red Bull at Bahrain appear to have been vanquished for the moment, as Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, grabbed the pole and was comfortably leading the race until a safety car period brought out by a hard crash from Nicholas Latifi in his Williams came just when Perez had pitted. Then, returning to the circuit, the Mexican driver had a safety car infraction with Sainz that resulted in him giving the Ferrari driver the top position, and just like that Perez had dropped from first to fourth.
Leclerc inherited the lead with Verstappen right behind him, and when a late virtual safety car period tightened up the field a bit, Verstappen started his attack. The two traded positions several times before Verstappen was able to make it stick, then held on for the race win.
"It was a hard battle at the front," Verstappen said, observing that the Ferrari cars "are quicker on the corners, we are quicker on the straight, a little more pace. It wasn't easy, playing those little tricks. But we've kickstarted our season. The cars, when you are within a half-second, you can have a really good exit. Maybe a little harder to plan your pass."
For his part, Leclerc appreciated the respect the two raced each other with, and even radioed Verstappen after the finish to say as much.
"It wasn't enough today, but I really enjoyed that race," Leclerc said. "It's hard racing, but fair. We were pushing like a have rarely pushed before, right the limit."
It is a third consecutive podium for Leclerc's teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr., and he said afterwards that he has found the rhythm of his car at Jeddah, and that he also felt a bit bad for pole-sitter Sergio Perez of Red Bull.
"[Perez] got a little but unlucky with the safety car, but the rules are the rules," said Sainz, who then added that it was everything he could do to keep Perez behind him. "[The Red Bull cars] were quicker than us after that, they were flying."
Unofficial Sauudi GP results
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
- Nico Hulkenberg, Aston Martin
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Alex Albon, Williams
DNF: Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
DNF: Fernando Alonso, Alpine
DNF: Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
DNF: Alexander Latifi, Williams
DNS: Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
DNS: Mick Schumacher, Haas
What we learned
Don't fret about Red Bull Racing. Whatever the problem was at Bahrain, and there have been multiple reasons presented, even from team officials, they obviously have speed.
The difference between Red Bull and Ferrari appears to be aero and downforce. Red Bull looks to be running a smaller front wing for a looser car, as Verstappen likes, and that gives them straight-line speed. Ferrari is running more downforce, at least at Saudi Arabia, with Leclerc using a strategy of posting a big opening sector time and then holding on through the other two sectors, where Verstappen and the Red Bulls are quicker.
Will that hold at the next race? We'll find out April 10 at Melbourne, Australia.
