2024 F1 Round 2, Saudi Arabian GP: Verstappen Wins from Pole as Red Bull Takes Second Straight One-Two, Debutant Bearman Scores in Seventh

The 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix concluded after 50 laps at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in the early hours of 10 March Beijing time. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen converted pole into his second victory of the season and the 56th Grand Prix win of his career. Red Bull secured a one-two finish for the second consecutive round.

Verstappen crossed the line 13.643 seconds ahead of Sergio Pérez. Although Pérez received a five-second penalty for an unsafe release during his pit stop, his margin was sufficient to retain second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third and set the fastest lap on the final tour to earn an additional point.

Leclerc admitted afterwards that Red Bull’s pace had made the race somewhat boring: the RB20 was almost a second a lap faster than Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin in race trim. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took fourth from Fernando Alonso, while Mercedes’ George Russell finished sixth.

The biggest surprise of the race came from Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman. The 18-year-old Briton started his Formula 1 debut eleventh, passed several rivals and finished seventh, becoming the 66th driver in F1 history to score points on debut. He won the Driver of the Day vote with 48% of the poll. Leclerc said afterwards that it was only a matter of time before Bearman secured a full-time F1 seat.

On lap six, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll hit the wall at Turn 22 and brought out the safety car. Mercedes and McLaren kept Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris out, hoping for another safety car, but none came. Both eventually had to pit at an unfavourable moment, with Hamilton finishing ninth and Norris eighth. Haas also kept Nico Hülkenberg out during the safety-car period, and he eventually took tenth thanks to team-mate Kevin Magnussen’s tactical support, scoring Haas’ first point of the season.

Magnussen received 20 seconds in penalties for multiple infringements but, following Haas’ instructions, deliberately slowed the cars behind him, including Yuki Tsunoda, to create a pit-stop window for Hülkenberg. RB was deeply unhappy: its racing director, Alan Permane, called Haas’ approach unsporting and said the team would raise the matter with the FIA. Tsunoda ultimately finished fifteenth and Daniel Ricciardo sixteenth. Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu dropped to last after a delay fitting the front-right wheel at his pit stop and finished eighteenth.