The Components 1 groups left the Jeddah Corniche Circuit with far decrease restore payments than they could have anticipated after the dramas of the primary two races on the high-speed road circuit.
Two outstanding names on the grid began outdoors of the highest 10 for causes out of their management, whereas another drivers who would usually anticipate to be decrease down the order had been left pissed off after promising alternatives appeared to go begging within the race.
The Crimson Bull drivers got here away from the weekend with probably the most factors for a second consecutive spherical, in what appears to be like more likely to be the sample for the remainder of the 12 months, although each had strikingly totally different weekends.
However which of the 20 opponents fared finest in Jeddah? Listed below are the RaceFans driver rankings for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.
Max Verstappen – 8/10
Certified: fifteenth (-14 locations behind group mate)
Grid: fifteenth (-14 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +2 locations
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: 2nd (-1 place behind group mate)
- Quickest in all three apply periods and Q1 by a median of 0.446s
- Eradicated from Q2 in fifteenth after driveshaft failed on exit of flip 12
- Gained two locations on opening lap, then gained six extra locations within the first 14 laps
- Pitted below Security Automotive for laborious tyres, gaining fourth place for the restart
- Handed Russell, then Alonso after the restart to maneuver as much as second behind group mate
- Maintained hole of round 5 seconds to group mate, then complained of one other driveshaft downside
- Set the quickest lap on the ultimate lap, retaining the championship lead by a single level.
It says so much to explain this as probably the most dominant race weekends of Verstappen’s profession, however that’s precisely the way it regarded till his driveshaft failed halfway by way of Q2. Regardless of beginning fifteenth, he steadily made his means up the order. Whereas the Security Automotive timing helped, his tempo after the restart confirmed he possible would have completed second with out it. One other ominous efficiency from the world champion.
Sergio Perez – 6/10
Certified: Pole (+14 locations forward of group mate)
Grid: Pole (+14 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: Winer (+1 place forward of group mate)
- Behind group mate in all three apply periods and Q1
- Claimed a “mechanical subject” with automotive in second apply
- Took benefit of group mate’s driveshaft failure to prime Q2, then secured pole place
- Misplaced lead off the road to Alonso however claimed it again on lap 4
- Pitted below Security Automotive for hards, retaining the lead
- Held the lead at restart, then maintained a lead of round 5 seconds to group mate to take race win
Profitable from pole place for the primary time makes his a memorable weekend for Perez, though it’s laborious to not really feel like he inherited his win after Verstappen’s qualifying woes. He misplaced the lead at the beginning however gained it again fairly rapidly, then by no means regarded doubtful for the win. He stored an honest tempo to carry Verstappen at bay, however couldn’t cling onto quickest lap.
Charles Leclerc – 7/10
Certified: 2nd (+3 locations forward of group mate, -0.511s)
Grid: twelfth (-8 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +3 locations
Technique: One-stop (S-H)
Completed: seventh (-1 place behind group mate)
- Struck with a ten place grid penalty earlier than the weekend for utilizing third management electronics
- Closest to Perez’s pole time in qualifying to line up twelfth on the grid
- Considered one of solely two drivers to start out on softs, gaining three locations on lap one, then passing Gasly, Hamilton and Ocon
- Pitted a lap earlier than the Security Automotive, missed likelihood to stress Hamilton as engineer failed to tell him his rival had pitted
- Restarted seventh on hards. pulling away from Ocon behind and sitting a handful of seconds behind group mate
- Battled radio issues over the second stint however ultimately got here residence seventh behind group mate
Leclerc put in one of many higher performances of the weekend. He knew he was in for a troublesome time earlier than arriving in Jeddah and managed to recuperate about in addition to he might to assert seventh behind Sainz, all issues thought-about. The Security Automotive timing was not pleasant to him and neither was the dearth of communication from his race engineer at a vital second, however regardless of ending behind Sainz it was clear which Ferrari driver had the higher weekend.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5/10
Certified: fifth (-3 locations behind group mate, +0.511s)
Grid: 4th (+8 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: sixth (+1 place forward of group mate)
- Virtually matched group mate’s Q2 time however hardly improved in Q3, qualifying fifth after dropping time in sector one
- Began fourth however misplaced a spot being overtaken by Stroll across the outdoors of flip 13 on the opening lap
- Pitted for hards earlier than the Security Automotive appeared on lap 15 dropping out to Verstappen
- Handed by Hamilton quickly after the restart to drop to sixth
- Remained in sixth behind Hamilton however forward of group mate till the end
Regardless of main his group mate residence, it was an unremarkable weekend for Sainz. He didn’t get the very best out of qualifying and whereas his tempo within the race was satisfactory, he mustn’t have been overtaken by Stroll across the outdoors of flip 13 and had no reply to Hamilton after being overtaken. A reasonably common efficiency.
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George Russell – 7/10
Certified: 4th (+4 locations forward of group mate, -0.366s)
Grid: third (+4 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: 4th (+1 place forward of group mate)
- Certified within the prime 4 forward of Stroll and Sainz
- Promoted to 3rd at the beginning and retained his place on mediums by way of his opening stint
- Pitted for hards below Security Automotive however couldn’t maintain off Verstappen after the restart, falling to fourth
- Fell inside DRS vary of Hamilton however stored forward along with his tougher tyres
- Instructed to maintain inside 5 seconds of Alonso however simply fell brief at chequered flag
- Completed fourth however promoted to podium post-race, just for outcome to be reversed hours later
An excellent efficiency from Russell, who had probably the greatest qualifying laps of the sector to safe third on the grid. Couldn’t maintain tempo with Alonso’s Aston Martin irrespective of how he tried but additionally managed to maintain Hamilton behind him after the restart regardless of being on laborious tyres. Didn’t need to be handed Alonso’s podium place however he knew it, was more than pleased to come back residence fourth.
Lewis Hamilton – 5/10
Certified: eighth (-4 locations behind group mate, +0.366s)
Grid: seventh (-4 locations behind group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (H-M)
Completed: fifth (-1 place behind group mate)
- Had closing qualifying time deleted for crossing prohibited zone on pit straight, however wouldn’t have improved on eighth
- Made “50-50” alternative on automotive set which he admitted had not paid off
- Solely driver within the prime ten to start out on hards however held place in opening laps
- Handed by recovering Leclerc and Verstappen earlier than pitting below Security Automotive to achieve place over Leclerc.
- Overtook Sainz after restart to maneuver fifth, then tucked up behind group mate on faster tyres
- Couldn’t get round Russell regardless of DRS and step by step dropped again, ending 5 seconds adrift in fifth
Hamilton’s manner after the race confirmed how sad he had been along with his weekend. He admitted to struggling for grip after his unremarkable qualifying however did an honest sufficient job on the laborious tyres on the opening stint. Used his mediums to cross Sainz however benefited from the timing of the Security Automotive to be in that place. Was the second-best Mercedes driver all weekend.
Esteban Ocon – 7/10
Certified: seventh (+3 locations forward of group mate, -0.279s)
Grid: sixth (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: eighth (+1 place forward of group mate)
- Comfortably reached Q3, then out-qualified group mate and Hamilton to line up sixth on the grid
- Held onto sixth within the opening stint, preserving forward of Hamilton earlier than being handed by Leclerc and Verstappen
- Pitted for hards simply earlier than Security Automotive, falling behind Tsunoda, however handed him for eighth quickly after the restart
- Couldn’t sustain with Ferraris forward however led group mate residence for strong factors in eighth
A weekend to be happy with for Ocon, who got here away with the very best place he might have fairly anticipated to attain with the Alpine. Quicker than Gasly in qualifying and even out-qualifying Hamilton’s Mercedes, he confirmed strong race tempo and stored Gasly at bay by way of the second stint to safe eighth.
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Pierre Gasly – 6/10
Certified: tenth (-3 locations behind group mate, +0.279s)
Grid: ninth (-3 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: ninth (-1 place behind group mate)
- Squeezed into Q3 on the final doable second, however was slowest within the closing part, three locations behind group mate
- Picked up eighth at the beginning after incidental contact with Piastri, then handed by Leclerc and Verstappen
- Misplaced monitor place to Tsunoda pitting earlier than Security Automotive however adopted group mate by way of to maneuver as much as ninth
- Ran behind group mate for the remainder of the race, not falling past three seconds of Ocon to complete ninth
An honest weekend for Gasly, who continues to indicate Alpine he has the potential to get on phrases along with his group mate. Whereas slower than his group mate when it mattered most, Gasly nonetheless maintained tempo with Ocon all through the race to complete shut behind and consolidate Alpine’s place because the fifth-fastest group by taking two factors for ninth place.
Lando Norris – 4/10
Certified: nineteenth (-10 locations behind group mate, +0.741s)
Grid: nineteenth (-11 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +2 locations
Technique: Two-stop (S-H-M)
Completed: seventeenth (-2 locations behind group mate)
- Hit the wall on the closing nook early in Q1, breaking steering arm that noticed him eradicated in nineteenth
- Acquired an honest launch off the road on softs regardless of gentle sequence starting earlier than he had stopped in grid slot
- Hit by particles from group mate’s automotive which broken entrance wing, forcing him to pit for repairs and falling to final
- Pitted for mediums below Security Automotive and handed Bottas and group mate Piastri
- Caught by group mate late in race regardless of more energizing tyres, inspired to not make issues “tough” for him
- Handed by Piastri to fall to seventeenth, simply falling wanting passing Sargeant on run to the flag
An uncharacteristic weekend for Norris, who squandered McLaren’s shocking one-lap tempo with a careless error in Q1, driving into the barrier and damaging his automotive. The injury he received on the opening lap was not his fault, nevertheless, however closely compromised his night. Dropping behind his group mate on older, slower tyres highlighted how he wasn’t on type.
Oscar Piastri – 7/10
Certified: ninth (+10 locations forward of group mate, -0.741s)
Grid: eighth (+11 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: -11 locations
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: fifteenth (+2 locations forward of group mate)
- Simply secured passage to Q2 then reached Q3 for the primary time in his profession instantly after
- Suffered entrance wing injury with side-by-side contact with Gasly in flip two, forcing him to pit
- Changed entrance wing and switched to laborious tyres, sitting nineteenth
- Stayed out below Security Automotive to sit down sixteenth at restart however misplaced locations to Zhou and group mate Norris
- Caught with Norris regardless of older and slower tyres, ultimately getting handed with assist from group
- Overtook Sargeant across the outdoors of flip one on closing lap to complete fifteenth
After a 12 months out of racing, the Oscar Piastri many anticipated to see appeared to indicate up in Jeddah. He constructed himself in control over the weekend and secured the primary Q3 berth of his profession on the second try. Unfortunate to undergo injury at the beginning, however operating 49 laps on a set of tyres, outpacing his group mate close to the top after which passing Sargeant on the ultimate lap was the very best demonstration to this point of his pure pace.
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Valtteri Bottas – 5/10
Certified: 14th (-2 locations behind group mate, +0.207s)
Grid: 14th (-3 locations behind group mate)
Begin: -1 place
Technique: Three-stop (M-H-M-S)
Completed: 18th (-5 locations behind group mate)
- By no means larger than 18th throughout all three apply periods
- Solely simply reached Q2 by 0.01s earlier than being eradicated 14th behind group mate
- Ran over particles from the Piastri-Gasly contact which can have broken automotive
- Fell to nineteenth after pitting early, then dropped to final pitting once more below Security Automotive
- Ran in final place for the remainder of the race, ending a lap down after making a 3rd cease for softs
A weekend to overlook after a promising begin to the season in Bahrain. He was not as fast as his group mate over the weekend, being out-qualified regardless of having few complaints along with his automotive. He ran over a piece of particles on the opening lap and it’s laborious to not assume that had a big half to play in his poor race tempo.
Zhou Guanyu – 7/10
Certified: twelfth (+2 locations forward of group mate, -0.207s)
Grid: eleventh (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: Two-stop (M-H-M)
Completed: thirteenth (+5 locations forward of group mate)
- Breezed by way of to Q2 within the prime ten however eradicated in twelfth
- Pitted early for laborious tyres however sluggish cease value him place to Magnussen
- Battled with Hulkenberg, then pitted once more below Security Automotive for mediums, falling to seventeenth
- Handed Piastri, De Vries, Albon and Sargent to get again as much as thirteenth the place he would end
A quietly first rate efficiency from Zhou, who out-performed his extra skilled group mate throughout the weekend. He was affected by sluggish pit stops throughout the race and misplaced monitor place pitting a second time below Security Automotive, however used his medium tyres to make his means steadily up the DRS practice and completed about as effectively up as he might have hoped.
Lance Stroll – 5/10
Certified: sixth (-3 locations behind group mate, +0.215s)
Grid: fifth (-3 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: Retired (Energy unit – L17)
- Behind group mate in each session
- Quickest in sector one in Q3 however mistake in flip 22 on closing lap value over two tenths, leaving him fifth on the grid
- Overtook Sainz across the outdoors of flip 13 on lap one, then was first of the entrance runners to pit for hards
- Pressured to cease on monitor on lap 17 as a result of energy unit downside
Stroll’s efficiency is tough to evaluate. He enjoys arguably the second finest automotive on the grid however solely ever received as excessive as fourth by way of the weekend. He pulled off a wonderful cross on Sainz on the opening lap and was denied the possibility to see how his race would have progressed after pitting, however he was the slower Aston Martin driver all weekend.
Fernando Alonso – 7/10
Certified: third (+3 locations forward of group mate, -0.215s)
Grid: 2nd (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: third
- Forward of group mate in each session
- Completed inside the highest three in each timed session
- Certified third however promoted to entrance row after Leclerc’s penalty
- Took the lead off the road however was handed by Perez in early laps
- Hit with 5 second time penalty for inaccurate begin place, serving it below Security Automotive however preserving second place
- Overtaken by Verstappen to fall to 3rd, then pushed to construct 5 second hole over Russell below risk of penalty
- Completed third, then given a 10-place penalty, which was later overturned by the stewards
Two podiums in two for Alonso. Simply the faster of the 2 Aston Martin drivers all weekend, he stormed into the lead off the road however clearly breached the brand new grid slot guidelines at the beginning, which should depend in opposition to his rating even when it didn’t value him place. Made good use of his automotive’s sturdy race tempo and stored himself 5 seconds forward of Russell by the end.
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Kevin Magnussen – 7/10
Certified: thirteenth (-2 locations behind group mate, +0.066s)
Grid: thirteenth (-3 locations behind group mate)
Begin: +2 locations
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: tenth (+2 locations forward of group mate)
- Behind group mate in each timed session
- Knocked out thirteenth in Q2, complaining of braking and gearbox issues
- Picked up locations at the beginning and battled group mate earlier than pitting earliest of anybody for laborious tyres
- Efficiently undercut group mate and sat eleventh below Security Automotive
- Pulled small hole to group mate behind and pressured Tsunoda forward for 20 laps
- Ultimately handed Tsunoda for the ultimate level with 4 laps remaining
Sunday was maybe the primary genuinely sturdy day Magnussen has loved throughout the younger 2023 season. After being out-paced by Hulkenberg over the primary two days, he began extra strongly and confirmed strong pace on laborious tyres over a protracted second stint. He needed to work to pinch the ultimate level from Tsunoda, nevertheless it was a worthy reward for a superb race.
Nico Hulkenberg – 6/10
Certified: eleventh (+2 locations forward of group mate, -0.066s)
Grid: tenth (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: -2 locations
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: twelfth (-2 locations behind group mate)
- Forward of group mate in each timed session
- Had first Q2 time deleted for getting into prohibited zone on pit straight
- Eradicated eleventh, simply 0.04s from Q3, later reporting minor brake issues
- Dropped locations at the beginning after which battled with group mate earlier than pitting early for laborious tyres
- Touched the wall below braking for flip one
- Overtook Albon on the Security Automotive restart and remained behind his group mate for the second stint, ending twelfth
Hulkenberg was the higher of the 2 Haas drivers over Friday and Saturday, however couldn’t maintain that edge into Sunday, ending behind Magnussen out of the factors in twelfth. Had first rate tempo on the hards after Security Automotive and can really feel unlucky to have fallen behind Magnussen by way of an undercut, however he couldn’t maintain his group mate below stress after the restart.
Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10
Certified: sixteenth (+2 locations forward of group mate, -0.305s)
Grid: sixteenth (+2 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: +2 locations
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: eleventh (+3 locations forward of group mate)
- Knocked out of Q1 by one-hundredth of a second
- Picked up two locations at the beginning and held off problem from Albon
- Pitted below Security Automotive to achieve eighth however was rapidly handed by each Alpines
- Absorbed stress from Magnussen for 20 laps till ultimately dropping tenth, ending eleventh
- Forward of group mate in each session each participated in
Tsunoda’s scream of frustration after being handed by Magnussen for the ultimate level within the closing laps summed up his weekend. He missed out on Q2 by subsequent to nothing, received an honest begin and made probably the most of a lucky Security Automotive to place himself in place for a degree. He fought laborious to cling to tenth, however finally misplaced out to a quicker automotive in the long run.
Nyck de Vries – 4/10
Certified: 18th (-2 locations behind group mate, +0.305s)
Grid: 18th (-2 locations behind group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: 14th (-3 locations behind group mate)
- Solely driver within the discipline to not have pushed in Jeddah earlier than
- Missed closing apply as a result of an issue along with his energy unit
- Spun on first flying lap in Q1, then eradicated in 18th
- Battled the Williams within the opening stint, pitting for hards below Security Automotive in double stack cease
- Misplaced two locations after restart to Sargeant and Zhou
- Ran behind Zhou however handed ailing Sargeant to come back residence 14th
- Behind group mate in each session each participated in
A difficult weekend for De Vries. He earns sympathy for his disrupted preparation on an unfamiliar monitor, however not for spinning on his first timed lap. After the race, he admitted he was not aggressive sufficient within the pack – one thing he might want to deal with as he’s more likely to be caught up in lots of DRS trains this season.
Alexander Albon – 6/10
Certified: seventeenth (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Grid: seventeenth (+3 locations forward of group mate)
Begin: +1 place
Technique: One-stop (M-H)
Completed: Retired (Brakes – L28)
- Eradicated in Q1 after struggling to convey his tyres into the precise window at the beginning of his final lap
- Overtook Bottas early within the race and ran behind Tsunoda earlier than pitting for hards below Security Automotive
- Handed by Hulkenberg after restart, operating thirteenth
- Suffered a mechanical brake failure that led to retirement
- Forward of group mate in each timed session
A irritating weekend for Albon the place he couldn’t extract the utmost tempo out of the automotive on Saturday earlier than his Sunday was ruined by elements out of his management. He put up a battle from seventeenth, was within the combine within the midfield scrap for the ultimate level and was faster than Sargeant all weekend, however brake failure was a scary means for his race to finish.
Logan Sargeant – 4/10
Certified: twentieth (-3 locations behind group mate)
Grid: twentieth (-3 locations behind group mate)
Begin: Held place
Technique: One-stop (H-M)
Completed: sixteenth
- Had finest Q1 time deleted for getting into prohibited zone alongside pit straight, would have secured Q2 berth
- Eradicated twentieth in Q1 after spinning twice extra, needing stewards’ permission to start out race
- Acquired poor begin after gentle sequence started earlier than he had stopped in his grid slot
- Ran first stint on laborious tyres earlier than pitting for mediums below Security Automotive
- Overtook De Vries and Zhou however ultimately fell down the order as tyres pale to complete sixteenth
- Behind group mate in each timed session
A irritating weekend of ‘what ifs’ for Sargeant. Had the pace for Q2, however solely had himself accountable for having a strong first Q1 lap deleted after which a number of errors doomed him to the again of the grid. His technique within the race didn’t repay and he fought valiantly to maintain automobiles behind him however ran out of tyres. He’ll know he ought to’ve gotten extra from the weekend.
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