Saudi Arabian GP: Red Bull cash in a 1-2 and Alonso claims 100th podium

Sergio Perez won the thrilling Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and his teammate Max Verstappen crossed the finish line right behind him. After starting 15th, the World Champion displayed some brilliant driving to go on and finish the race second.

Red Bull maximized their strategy thanks to the safety car on track during the initial stages of the race. The Austrian team timed their free pits, unlike Ferrari and Mercedes.

The 1-2 finish for Red Bull is just another day at the office for Christian Horner and his boys, shaping up to be a runaway season for the reigning Formula 1 champion.

Checo Perez finished the race in first place after a tricky start against Fernando Alonso. The Aston Martin got ahead of Red Bull for the first initial laps, after Alonso’s brilliant start on the inside.

Verstappen is chasing his third title and isn’t worried if it goes down to a straight fight between him and Perez. “The best one will finish in front, it is racing”, told Verstappen to the media during the post-race conference.

While Red Bull seems to be in a race of their own, meanwhile back at the ranch teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin are competing fiercely for a spot in the top 5. Against all odds, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin outperformed its closest competitors, relegating Ferrar and Mercedes to the “midfield”.

Fernando Alonso finished third for the second consecutive race this season. The Spaniard claimed his 100th career podium after a brilliant start to the race but was eventually outrun by Red Bull. Alonso was given a penalty at the starting grid for being too far to the left of the initial grid, costing him five seconds. Nevertheless, the veteran driver pushed hard for the undercut and thanks to a very opportune safety car, the penalty was minor.

After celebrating the podium with the Red Bull team, the FIA said the Aston Martin driver served their penalty incorrectly due to a mechanic engaging the rear end of the car. The FIA issued a ten-second penalty to the Spaniard after the race finished, almost 35 laps later. This dropped Alonso down to 4th, snatching his 100th podium away.

The podium finish was handed to George Russel of Mercedes, who called the penalty on Alonso “harsh” as he was flying almost 6 seconds ahead of Russel. If the FIA would have communicated the penalty earlier in the race, there would have been less backlash. As a steward, you can’t issue such a late penalty after 30+ laps passed and the race concluded…The FIA would retract and Alonso’s 100th podium reinstated.

Alonso delighted with his P3, is currently enjoying a renaissance with his new Aston Martin team, charging straight into podium positions. George Russel and Lewis Hamilton finished behind Alonso, showing some slight improvements to their cars this weekend.

While Red Bull enjoys their comfortable lead, Ferrari seems to be crumbling slowly with every race. In Bahrain, the Italian team faced multiple power issues which forced them to retire Leclerc. During the Saudi GP, both Ferraris proved to be more reliable but lacked track speed. Leclerc and Sainz ended up in a DRS train till the end of the race, finishing 6th and 7th.

As Red Bull seems to be from another galaxy, there are clear contenders for this year's Formula One champions, and will likely be a runaway season from the reigning champs. However, both Red Bull drivers will have to challenge each other for the title, while leaving the crumbs for the others. Will it be Aston Martin, Mercedes, or Ferrari that will finish behind Red Bull this season?