Another race weekend is in the books from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Red Bull once again proved they are the team to beat this past weekend by claiming first and second at the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It was not without intrigue though. The most interesting storyline going into the race was the fact that Max Verstappen was starting fifteenth on the grid due to a failed driveshaft in Q2. The Dutch driver pushed his way through the field to reach the aforementioned second-place finish. Alongside the Red Bull dominance, there were plenty of other things to discuss and analyze from the race. So, here are some post-race thoughts from the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Red Bull vs Themselves
Any hope of a Constructers’ Championship fight this season is now buried six feet under by the Milton Keynes operation. The car shows an overwhelming pace advantage alongside maybe the best tire management on the grid. Adrian Newey and the technical staff at Red Bull Racing once again created a monster car. The pilots of that car however want the Driver’s Championship to enter Rosberg-Hamilton territory now.
One thing that became clear by the end of this race is that as things stand now, the only thing that can get in Red Bull’s way is themselves. That destroyer may come from Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s relationship. As the race entered its final stages, Sergio Perez became paranoid about them potentially favoring Verstappen. He questioned their request to slow down by four-tenths, which was met by a “you are free to race” call from his engineer shortly after. Concurrently Verstappen, stuck in second, wanted to know the status of the fastest lap. When met with a “we are not concerned with that” response, the driver said he cared about it very much. This exchange led to Verstappen setting a blistering final lap to take away the fastest lap point from his teammate, in turn retaining first place in the Drivers’ Championship.
The fallout from last season is clear. A poisonous cocktail of trauma and drama from Spain, Monaco, Brazil and behind-the-scenes mess now spawns the most compelling rivalry of the season. If the Red Bull Drivers keep playing dueling banjos with race wins, the late-season theatrics could become must-watch tv in a way they do not want.
The Fernando Alonso Oddesy
This was a wild weekend for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. He was mighty in free practice, which led to a first-row start in the race this past weekend. Immediately, however, he was put in a bind because of a five-second penalty for failing to line up on the grid correctly. Alonso proceeded to take the lead off of the start but eventually relinquished it to Sergio Perez. When he could serve the penalty under the safety car, it allowed him to only drop to third following Max Verstappen’s post-restart charge. Post-race however is when the real chaos began.
At the end of the race, Fernando Alonso was on the podium celebrating his 100th podium finish. Immediately after the ceremony, it was announced that his team failed to serve his penalty correctly, thus dropping him down to fourth place because of a now ten-second penalty. Aston Martin challenged this ruling, and a few hours later, Alsonso’s podium finish was restored to him. The dark lord retained his historic achievement, despite some unclear rulebook machinations.
McLaren Stare Into The Abyss
No team exists in a more precarious position right now than McLaren. The legacy F1 brand faces a bigger collapse than AlphaTauri achieved last season. The Brackley operation entered the season with the slowest car, a nightmarish turn from their fifth-place finish last year. This season, they are yet to finish above fifteenth place. That car results from a complete diversion of resources mid-offseason due to massive development changes. With the updates expected in a little over a month, it begs the question of if their updates will achieve anything.
It would be a minor miracle for their car to be a top-five car even after the changes given Aston Martin’s form. On top of that, their primary competitor Alpine possesses a car capable of earning consistent points every week. If they fail to land around Alpine, a host of issues will surface for the team. Chief among those issues is Lando Norris’ future. The young driver is immensely fast and marketable. He is an asset on and off track for any team on the grid. If this death spiral continues, how long will Norris decide to stay around before forcing his way out to a competitive team? He is the best driver on the grid without a win, no offense to Nico Hülkenberg. Unless the team improves quickly, the abyss of F1 irrelevant is staring right back at McLaren.
The FIA Keep Getting In Their Own Way
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was another reflection point of the post-Michael Masi FIA bumblings. The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso’s car at Austin 2022, a soft ban on political statements and questionable rulings litter the last 15 months. This past week’s incidents is a reminder to the FIA and F1 that they need to figure out their rulings or risk more negative blowback. Measures like expedited investigations, pit lane timers and other measures could be implemented to solve the simple issues. The issue remains however that the decisions lack consistency. Whether the new race directors in training may be the solution, but the FIA need to get their ducks in line as soon as possible for the sports’ sake.
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