2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Race Report

​The 2nd race of the 2023 season took place at the Jeddah - Corniche Street Circuit, one of the new additions to the calendar since 2021. On this track, which has attracted both interest and criticism since its introduction in 2021, watching the drivers passing by so close to the walls is thrilling. Still, we should emphasize that, despite the excitement and the joy, Corniche is a dangerous track, especially considering that the race had to be restarted twice in 2021, the missile attack and explosion during the Free Practice session in 2022, and Mick Schumacher's qualifying accident that scared everyone. But what happened during the relatively uneventful 2023 race? Let's take a look at it together.

FIA, Again… A Scandal, Again!

I'm going to be brutally honest here. We've had enough of having to write about the FIA's ridiculous decisions, but the FIA doesn't seem to have had enough of making such decisions. If you ask what happened this time: you would remember from the previous race (Bahrain), Alpine's young driver Esteban Ocon was first penalized for ''incorrect grid position'', then for ''penalty served incorrectly'', and then for ''speeding in the pit lane''. This time Fernando Alonso hit the penalty jackpot. Just like the young Frenchman, Ocon, Alonso was first penalized with a 5-second time penalty for ''incorrect starting grid''. As it is the most logical way, Aston Martin opted for the pitstop to serve the time. However, this choice came with a cost for the surprisingly hopeful team. We soon found out the regulations state that no work should be done on the car while serving the penalty, and mechanics should stay clear of the vehicle. And the jack placed under the car is included in this rule. Alonso was also penalized again for another reason I cannot remember now. However, he kept his 3rd place by increasing his lead on Mercedes' young star, George Russell, by another 5 seconds. Now, let's look at the ridiculous and scandalous part. The race ended, the trophy ceremony has done, and the team celebrated a 2nd podium in a row with Fernando Alonso. But what was that? A notification that circulated on Twitter shell-shocked everyone. After everything was said and done, the FIA penalized the veteran Spaniard by 10 seconds, citing the previously mentioned rule. Alonso had to deliver the 3rd place trophy to George Russell, who inherited the 3rd place after his penalty. Even though everyone saw that no one was working on the car for 5 seconds, the reason for this penalty was a mechanic putting the jack under the car and standing ready in that position. The FIA's notice was ridiculous: ''Usually, the consequence of this infringement is disqualification from the race, but we saw clearly in the footage that no one was working on the car during those 5 seconds, so we decided on a 10-second time penalty.'' Fortunately, Aston Martin acted very quickly and appealed the decision. The FIA relayed on their 2nd notice that they accepted the British team's appeal and that the team turned in 7 precedents where the same action resulted in no penalty and, therefore, the 3rd place is rightfully Fernando Alonso's. The team and the Spaniard said there was at least 25 laps worth of time for them to take this decision, and had they been informed about the penalty during the race, they would have improved their lap times accordingly. We are glad that, in the end, justice prevailed.

Lance Stroll and The Safety Car!

We continue our article with Aston Martin, but this part will not be lengthy. At the beginning of the article, we mentioned how dangerous the Corniche circuit is and how they had to restart the race in 2021 twice. Luckily, this year's race was pretty uneventful. During the race, for which everyone considers a minimum of 2 Safety Car periods guaranteed, the one and only Safety Car period came from Aston Martin's young Canadian, Lance Stroll. He suffered a mechanical issue and had to stop the car on the track. Despite all, we are glad that it was an uneventful race.

Get Well Soon, Champion!

On Thursday, during the race week, some unexpected news from the Red Bull side dropped on Twitter. First came Max Verstappen's post and then the statement from the team. While the young champion stated that he had a stomach bug and that he did not feel well for the previous few days and, hence, he is going to be arriving in Jeddah on Friday in his message, to which he started by saying ''feeling well again'', the team announced that the Dutchman is not going to participate in the press events for the same reason. Although the young driver arrived in Jeddah, participated in the Free Practice sessions, and was looking better, he later admitted that he was not feeling as good as seemed and that he was having difficulty breathing and, therefore, felt the need to slow down and take a breath after two laps during the previously mentioned session. Despite his condition and starting the race in 15th place due to a drive shaft issue, he saw the chequered flag as the runner-up. That is beyond impressive and worthy of some praise! We congratulate the ''Flying Dutchman'' and extend our wishes for a quick recovery on him.

Williams, Misfortunes, And A Rookie's American Dream!

I intend to mention Williams in this part of my article. Williams is a successful, iconic team, a fan favorite. I will not go deep into the history of the British crew. However, it's impossible not to get upset with their state, especially as they turned into a ''backmarker'' for the last decade. The news that veteran strategist from Mercedes, James Vowles, is joining Williams as the new team principal had the effect of both shock and excitement. It's impossible not to trust & admire Vowles' strategic intelligence and experience. As motorsport fans, we are sure he will do great things for the team. Now, about the drivers: at the wheel of the 1st car, we see Alexander Albon, whom we can consider an experienced driver, coming from the Red Bull junior academy amongst all the objections. At the wheel of the 2nd car, however, is Logan Sargeant, the first American rookie since Alexander Rossi and Scott Speed in a long time. Sargeant will learn a lot from his teammate Albon despite his shyness on and off the race track. If we should look at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in particular, the young Thai had to retire from the race due to mechanical issues while he had guaranteed a great haul of points, which is such a misfortune. The American rookie Sargeant has also shown, in a sense, a preview of his capabilities if ridding himself of his shyness is possible. I have seen that he has a strong potential for impeccable overtakes if he can build his confidence, even though he had to back away many times. I congratulate the young driver and wish him the best of luck.

What Is Perez Doing?

We are going back to the Red Bull side because there is a situation that we cannot not-mention! The Mexican has gained the admiration of many fans, first with his last-to-first miracle win in Bahrain in 2020 (also etched his name into the books of the sport's history as the first and only driver to win a race from last place), then with his mesmerizing and skillful defensive drives in a Red Bull seat since 2021. Yet still, the fact that his young teammate, Max Verstappen, outperforms him; brought on a lot of criticism. Although many fans of the sport belittle him, saying he can't challenge Verstappen or his race pace is not good enough, Perez proved his critics wrong with his exceptional drive in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In the absence of the young Dutchman (don't get this wrong, by ''absence'', I mean he is busy climbing up from the back), the Mexican crossed the finish line as the winner, 5 seconds ahead of his teammate. Although he lost the lead to Fernando Alonso at the start, he regained his position within a few laps and successfully retained it. With this exceptional performance, Perez claimed his 4th victory with Red Bull and the 5th of his career. We congratulate him.

In summary, Red Bull's veteran driver, Sergio Perez, won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, for which we are glad that it was uneventful in general. On the other hand, Max Verstappen crossed the finish line as the runner-up, bringing his team the 2nd double victory of the season, despite struggling with a drive shaft issue since the Qualifying sessions. Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso, of whom we spoke as ''an F1 fairy tale'' in Bahrain, saw the chequered flag in 3rd place, bringing the British crew's 2nd podium in a row.

We are sending warm hugs to everyone after this lovely race and saying ''see you at the Australian Grand Prix''. :))))