Max Verstappen Cruises to 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Victory

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen opened the weekend in the two practices as the driver to watch. Then he sailed into pole position to set the stage for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Cornice Circuit as the favorite to win while continuing his reign of dominance in Formula 1. And with Ferrari Reserve Driver Oliver Bearman sitting in for Carlos Sainz following a health issue, the season’s second race was one to watch.

As the waning moments ticked away before the lights went out, the tire blankets revealed the expected strategies throughout the field, and two strategy choices were in play immediately. Both the Kick Sauber of Valtteri Bottas and the young rookie, Bearman, were set to start on the Soft compound tires, hoping to make a quick getaway and a quick caution, while the rest of the field was expected to begin on the Medium compound tires. All teams expected a one-stop race and a switch over to the Hard tires.

All the cars on the Jeddah grid are starting on Medium, with the exception of rookie Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) and Valtteri Bottas (Stake F1) on Soft.⁰#Fit4F1 #Formula1 #Pirelli @F1 pic.twitter.com/uL2QpHpx3C

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) March 9, 2024

The crew members finally left the grid, and the cars preparing to take their formation lap remained. Verstappen led the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and his teammate Sergio Perez off to begin their lap before lights out as Bearman was set to start his first career Grand Prix, his longest race yet. During the closing stages of the lap, Pierre Gasly radioed to his pit wall, telling them he was experiencing a gearbox issue.

The field finally returned to their grid slots, and when the five red lights went out, Verstappen got an easy jump on Leclerc and set off while Perez fought for second place. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had gotten the jump on the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and was fighting for his position. There was speculation from George Russell as he called his Mercedes team to tell them that the other McLaren of Lando Norris may have jumped the start.

Soon, the first retirement of the 2024 season occurred as the Alpine team deemed it too risky to keep Gasly out on track and called him into the pits to retire the car.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 leads the field at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Leclerc’s stay in second place was short-lived, as Perez brought his mighty Red Bull into second place, setting up another Red Bull 1-2 finish. Piastri, meanwhile, kept it close to Alonso in an attempt to grab fourth place. But the other Aston Martin was about to turn a promising weekend into trouble.

On Lap 7, Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin made contact with the wall almost like he did during the first practice. However, he could not recover and went straight into the barriers in Turn 23. With a damaged car stopped on track, the first Safety Car of the season was called, and a new strategy was provided.

Taking advantage of the shorter pit delta, most leaders took an early and free pit stop to avoid losing as much track position as possible. Verstappen led the leaders and set up a double-stop for his Red Bull pit crew. He set off without issue while Norris and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes stayed out, though Verstappen could exit the pit lane before Hamilton had gone by.

Once the majority of the field, outside of Norris, Hamilton, the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg and the Kick Sauber of Zhou Guanyu had completed their pits, teams now were set on hopefully making it to the end completely green, while those who stayed out needed to figure out when to make their pit stop.

As Lap 10 began, the SC was called back into the pits, and Norris led the field back to racing action with a strong Red Bull of Verstappen hot on his tail. But there was action up and down the order as drivers attempted to make up as many positions as possible before the field spread out.

Bearman made an excellent pass in his Ferrari on the Visa Cash App RB of Yuki Tsunoda. At the same time, a close battle between Alex Albon’s Williams, Esteban Ocon’s Alpine and Kevin Magnussen’s Haas gave the stewards something to investigate after contact between the Haas and the Williams.

Verstappen’s time in second place was short-lived as he soon made his way around the McLaren on Lap 12. At the same time, Perez was under investigation for a possible unsafe release during the pit stop. The Ferrari pair of Bearman and Leclerc were making their way up the order as the lead Ferrari made its way around Hamilton, and the rookie broke into the top 10 and had a chance of points in a debut.

Perez and Magnussen’s investigations did not prove fruitless. The Red Bull driver received a five-second penalty for an unsafe release, while the Haas driver received a 10-second penalty for his contact with Albon.

Piastri soon started his long battle with Hamilton to get fourth place. This highlighted McLaren’s lack of straight-line speed, even with DRS, as he never could make his way around the seven-time World Champion. But while Piastri couldn’t pass, Perez soon made quick work of Norris and slid into second place again.

Magnussen soon caught the stewards’ ire once again, this time for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during his battle against Tsunoda. They handed him another 10-second penalty. The second penalty solidified his strategy as his Haas team would tell him to attempt to hold up as many cars as possible so his teammate could get an easy pit stop and remain in the points.

The ones who had decided to stay out on their Medium tires were now attempting to hold them together so a switch over to the Soft compound tires would be viable, and much to their relief, the tires were holding on quite well. Norris made a valiant effort to hold off Leclerc but was soon passed. Hamilton, however, continued to hold off Piastri.

Piastri’s life became easier as Hamilton was called into the pits to finally change over to the Soft compound tires, which set off the round of pit stops for those who stayed out. Magnussen’s effort to hold back the bottom of the field worked out as he created enough of a gap for his teammate to easily pit without dropping out of the points, and Norris pitted and got out right in front of Hamilton, who both chased Bearman.

Guanyu, who had put together a respectable race, was also called into the pits for his scheduled service, but a slow pit stop ruined his chances of a good finish.

In the closing stages, Bearman checked to ensure he could hold off the hard-charging veterans of Norris and Hamilton. Between messages of encouragement, he was told that it would be a quick race to the end and that he should be able to hold them off.

Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Second placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Verstappen, meanwhile, continued his ever-familiar scampering away from the rest of the field, holding onto a steady advantage over his teammate. He only lost time by catching up to the back of the grid on a track that was difficult to pass on. But as the laps wound down, it became more confident that he would pick up another victory.

Replays soon showed Daniel Ricciardo’s Visa Cash App RB, who was having a quiet day and making a lazy spin. But with no one around him, he maintained his 16th position.

Bearman’s worries about the hard-charging Norris and Hamilton were simple as the Mercedes had dropped off the back of the McLaren, and small mistakes from Norris made it easy for the rook to retain his spot and not have to defend.

Verstappen soon crossed the line to solidify his 56th career victory and ninth in a row, dating back to last year. Perez followed him behind to secure yet another Red Bull 1-2 finish, far enough ahead of Leclerc to keep second. Leclerc, however, made a last-minute claim to the Fastest Lap point on the final lap.

Piastri brought home his McLaren in fourth while Alonso could hold off a late-charging Russel for fifth. Bearman captured the seventh place and Driver of the Day after a spirited drive and held off Norris and Hamilton, who had to settle for eighth and ninth, respectively, while Hulkenberg rounded out the points-paying positions in 10th.

Albon settled just outside the points while Magnussen’s 20-second penalty kept him in 12th. Meanwhile, Ocon, the Williams of Logan Sargeant, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Bottas and Guanyu were all placed a lap down. At the same time, the only two retirees were Stroll and Gasly, both of whom came early.

Verstappen’s ninth consecutive victory now puts him only one behind his record of 10 races in a row, set in 2023 after his win at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It was also his 100th career Podium Finish and Red Bull’s 115th victory, solidifying fourth place on the all-time constructor’s victors list.

Teams take two weeks off before heading to Australia and the Australian Grand Prix. Will Max Verstappen tie his record of consecutive race wins, or will some other driver be able to make its way into victory lane?