2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Saudi Arabian GP: Fernando Alonso tops FP2, Lewis Hamilton summoned to stewards.
Fernando Alonso topped FP2 for the Saudi Arabian GP, ahead of George Russell and Max Verstappen around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
07 Mar 2024 6:10 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Over one lap, it was Alonso and Russell who came out on top on Thursday in second practice, Alonso two tenths ahead of the Mercedes driver and three tenths ahead of Verstappen in third. An alleged impeding incident has seen Lewis Hamilton summoned to the stewards, meanwhile, with Logan Sargeant forced to swerve to avoid hitting the Mercedes driver early in the session.

A big swerve for Logan Sargeant came when he had to take evasive action behind Lewis Hamilton in the fast first sector, with Carlos Sainz then complaining about the “super dangerous” speed of the seven-time World Champion while he was on a slow lap – which will be investigated by the stewards after the session for impeding, later confirmed that he has been summoned.

'Fernando Alonso tops FP2';

https://www.planetf1.com/news/saudi-...024-fp2-report


Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 2 Results
8 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 2 from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 27 1:28.827

2 63 George Russell Mercedes 23 1:29.057 0.230

3 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 26 1:29.158 0.331

4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 23 1:29.180 0.353

5 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 25 1:29.300 0.473

6 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 26 1:29.336 0.509

7 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 25 1:29.455 0.628

8 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 21 1:29.504 0.677

9 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 27 1:29.528 0.701

10 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 26 1:29.594 0.767

‘Full results from Free Practice 2’;

https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...ice-2-results/


Second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is DELAYED due to loose drain covers... just months after the same issue forced F1 to cancel a session in Las Vegas
• The second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was delayed
• The delay was due to loose drain covers in front of the garages in Jeddah
• Formula One encountered the same issue for the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year
Published: 17:43, 7 March 2024
By Sam Brookes
MailOnline

The second practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was delayed due to loose drain covers on Thursday evening. After last week's opening race of the 2024 season in Bahrain, Formula One has headed over to Saudi Arabia, but they have already encountered an early issue.

After coming through the first practice session with no concerns, the second practice was halted after loose drain covers were spotted. Haas confirmed the postponement with a post on X that read: 'Session Delay! And yes, you guessed it, it’s due to loose drain covers.

'After a damaged cover was found in front of the garages, they all need to be checked before the session can start. FP2 will still be 1 hour long.' Confirmation of the delay came at around 5pm (UK time), but the problem was quickly fixed, and the session was allowed to resume at 5.10pm.

‘DELAYED due to loose drain covers...’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Las-Vegas.html


Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 free practice 2 results
Max Verstappen topped the timesheet at the end of the first practice session in Saudi Arabia, but who will be quickest at the end of free practice 2?
March 7, 2024
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds

The start of the second practice session was delayed by race control. Yet again, suspected loose drain covers were the reason behind the delayed start. This time, the drain covers in question were located in the pit lane, with the bolts that keep the covers in place under investigation.

Final classification of free practice 2: After 60 minutes, Alonso topped the timesheet at the end of free practice 2 in Jeddah. The two-time world champion was the only driver in the one minute 28’s, with a 1:28.827. Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Stroll, Sainz, Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, and Piastri round out the top 10. The other McLaren of Norris was down in P12, with Ricciardo and Bottas at the other end of the timesheet.

Hamilton’s power issues must have been a quick fix for the Mercedes team, as the Brit took to the track to complete a practice start. After feeling ill in the build up to the weekend, it was also an impressive display from Ferrari’s Sainz, who finished in the top 10.

‘Max Verstappen topped the timesheet’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...ice-2-results/


Saudi Arabian GP: Alonso finishes on top in second practice
07/03/2024 at 18:16
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was quickest in second practice for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, finishing more than two tenths clear of Mercedes' George Russell and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

First stint complete, the teams started switching to soft tyres for qualifying runs with Bottas among the first to do so, improving to P7 as a result. It allowed Alonso to jump back to the front by seven tenths. Verstappen also improved but not by nearly as much, allowing Leclerc to slip into second, Perez third and Stroll fourth. Norris meanwhile was only eighth at the halfway point of the session, complaining about too much bottoming in the McLaren.

Alonso remained at the top although Verstappen moved to the front of the chasing pack with his latest effort. Russell subsequently improved to second despite a near-miss incident when he was squeezed toward the barriers by a slow Tsunoda. Traffic in general was definitely a major headache, with Leclerc being obliged to cut a corner to dive out of the path of a flying Alonso.

‘Alonso finishes on top’;

https://f1i.com/news/501853-saudi-ar...-practice.html

[Fortitude]

2024 Saudi Arabian GP FP2: Onboard for the fastest lap of the day with Fernando Alonso.
Ride onboard as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso posts the fastest lap of second practice at the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with a time of 1:28.827.
07 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘2024 Saudi Arabian GP FP2’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...412382613.html


Verstappen’s poise shows his rivals face a hard Friday night fight for pole
Posted on
7th March 2024, 23:09
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

One week on from delivering a cold, hard dose of reality to Red Bull’s rivals in Bahrain, Max Verstappen generously decided to give someone else a turn at the top of the times during the opening day of running in Jeddah. But immediately after the session ended, Verstappen had the demeanour of a driver who knew he has every reason to feel confident about his chances over the rest of the weekend.

“I think it’s been pretty good overall,” he said. “There’s always things that you look at to do better over one lap performance, but also I think some teams already used a little bit more power like they did in Bahrain.”

‘Verstappen’s poise’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/07/...ight-for-pole/


FP2 Highlights: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
07 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Watch highlights from second practice ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

‘FP2 Highlights’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...147707542.html


'So, so unstable': British driver complains that his car feels ‘so, so unstable’ at Saudi GP
Thu 7 March 2024 20:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Mercedes driver George Russell wasn’t happy with the handling of his car during practice ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Russell was the second-fastest driver under the lights in FP2, only trailing Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.

Mercedes may need to make tweaks to revised car: Ahead of the on-track action in Saudi Arabia, one journalist spotted a lower-downforce rear wing on the W15. The Brackley outfit may still need to optimise their updated challenger on a track that, in the words of Verstappen, is ‘completely different’ to Bahrain.

Russell will nonetheless be the happier of the two drivers after day one, having outpaced Hamilton in both FP1 and FP2. Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve expects to be a more ‘aggressive’ version of the Briton this term as he prepares to become the team ‘leader’. It’s Russell’s final season alongside Hamilton as the 39-year-old gets ready to pack his bags for a shock switch to Ferrari in 2025.

‘So, so unstable’

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/bri...e-at-saudi-gp/


Max third after opening day in Jeddah: 'It went well'
Published on 07 March 2024
by Stefan Meens
Verstappen.nl

After being quickest in the opening practice session of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Max Verstappen finished Thursday’s FP2 in third place. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) was quickest with the Mercedes of George Russell splitting the Spaniard and the Dutch Oracle Red Bull Racing driver.

“In general, it went well”, said Max after free practice at the Jeddah Street Circuit. “They prepared the track well because it wasn’t that dirty. The pace was good, and we learned a lot.”

'It went well';

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5397/


Verstappen predicts ‘very, very tight’ qualifying in Saudi Arabia
07 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site

After finishing behind both an Aston Martin and a Mercedes in Thursday evening’s Free Practice 2 session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, reigning champion Max Verstappen has predicted a hard-fought qualifying session to come at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

“It will be again very, very tight,” said Verstappen, when asked for his prediction about where Red Bull sit in terms of qualifying pace this weekend. “I think that is probably where other people are probably a bit better than us, over one lap. Our car probably comes a bit more alive on the long run.”

“I think overall we learned a lot,” he added. “Of course there’s always things you look at to do better over one-lap performance, but I think also some teams already, they used a little bit more power, like they did in Bahrain, so we’ll take that also into consideration. But when we went into the long runs, it looks again quite nice, so quite happy with that.”

‘Very, very tight qualifying’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...3Vei8Wgc3.html


F1 Live- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 FP3 Watchalong
Scheduled for Mar 8, 2024
Sports maniac 144

Live Watchalong of the F1 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix FP3. Hope You all will enjoy the Stream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2JbIUDpGMo


F1 Live: Saudi Arabia GP Free Practice 3 - Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary
Scheduled for Mar 8, 2024
Racing Statistics

F1 Live: Saudi Arabia GP Free Practice 3 - Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with Racing Statistics. Lets Watchalong!

‘Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary’;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVTXpqT7ygw

[Fortitude]

Max Verstappen fastest in final practice as Oliver Bearman debuts for Ferrari.
Max Verstappen edges Charles Leclerc in final practice at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
08 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen topped the final practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Oliver Bearman made his Ferrari debut. Verstappen, who cruised to victory at last weekend’s season-opener in Bahrain, was just 0.196s seconds faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was third-fastest, 0.494 secs slower than Verstappen. George Russell was fourth-quickest, over half a second adrift, while Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton was only ninth. Lando Norris finished fifth ahead of the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

British teenager Bearman, who has been drafted in to replace the unwell Carlos Sainz, completed the top-10 with a solid performance in his first F1 outing for Ferrari. The 18-year-old claimed pole position for the Formula 2 championship feature race in Jeddah on Thursday and will take part in the rest of the weekend while Sainz undergoes surgery for appendicitis.

‘Max Verstappen fastest in final practice’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104527...debuts-ferrari


Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 3 Results
9 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 3 from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 12 1:28.412

2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 15 1:28.608 0.196

3 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 12 1:28.906 0.494

4 63 George Russell Mercedes 16 1:28.964 0.552

5 4 Lando Norris McLaren 10 1:28.971 0.559

6 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 13 1:29.038 0.626

7 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 13 1:29.127 0.715

8 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 10 1:29.213 0.801

9 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 18 1:29.268 0.856

10 38 Oliver Bearman Ferrari 21 1:29.306 0.894

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...ice-3-results/


Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 FP3 results
All eyes were cast on F2 PREMA driver Ollie Bearman, as he replaces ill Carlos Sainz at Ferrari for the rest of the F1 weekend in Saudi Arabia
March 8, 2024
Samuel Coop
FormulaNerds

The second half: As the clock ticked over into the second half of the session, Verstappen put his Red Bull on top of the timing board, clocking in a 1:28.893. Once emerged from the pit lane, Magnussen showed the pace in his Haas, setting the third-fastest lap time of the session.

Sargeant, however, didn’t enjoy the same fortune, clipping the wall and having to return to the pits without setting a lap time. He was, as confirmed by the AWS broadcast information, “too close to the wall” having actually hit it.

‘F1 FP3 results’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...1-fp3-results/


Zhou crashes heavily as Verstappen tops red-flagged FP3.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen started Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on top, after setting the pace in the third practice session.
8 March 3:33PM
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

The three-time World Champion topped the session courtesy of setting a 1:28.412s, which was just under two-tenths of a second quicker than Charles Leclerc in second. Leclerc found himself in a Red Bull sandwich, as last season's winner at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit Sergio Perez finished FP3 in third.

Perez though, was almost five-tenths behind Verstappen and narrowly ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris who completed the top five.

‘Verstappen tops red-flagged FP3’;

https://racingnews365.com/zhou-crash...ed-flagged-fp3


Bearman’s F1 debut will surprise even him – but he always looked the real deal
8th March 2024, 12:53
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

The 18-year-old woke up on Friday morning looking forward to starting the F2 sprint race from tenth position after securing pole position in qualifying for Saturday’s feature race. However, those plans have now drastically changed.

With Carlos Sainz Jnr hospitalised due to appendicitis, Ferrari have summoned their junior driver to step in and make an unexpected grand prix debut at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. In doing so, Bearman will become the first driver to debut with the Scuderia since Arturo Merzario in the 1972 British Grand Prix.

Despite his youth, Bearman has amassed an impressive CV in single-seaters since moving into F4 in 2020. The then-15-year-old competed in the Italian and German F4 championship alongside current F2 rivals such as Jak Crawford – qualifying on the front row at his first attempt in single-seaters and winning once race in each series.

‘Bearman’s F1 debut’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/08/...the-real-deal/


Meet Essex’s teen F1 star Oliver Bearman who loves Lionel Messi and will drive for Ferrari at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Published: 12:51, 8 Mar 2024
Joe Brophy
talkSPORT

It took Britain's greatest-ever driver Lewis Hamilton almost two decades to realise his lifelong ambition of racing for Ferrari. Oliver Bearman is managing it in his Formula 1 debut. The 18-year-old is being thrust behind the wheel of the Scuderia to partner future Hamilton teammate Charles Leclerc this weekend.

The teen had claimed pole position for Prema Racing in F2 qualifying on Thursday, but will now jump to F1 for the rest of the weekend. It will mark Bearman's full F1 debut, having driven for Haas - whose power unit is provided by Ferrari - in first practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix last year. In Mexico in particular, Bearman was among the most impressive of the five rookies that competed.

Having won both the German and Italian Formula Four championships, Bearman then impressed at the FDA Scouting World Finals in Maranello enough to be signed in 2021. Despite upping sticks to Ferrari’s headquarters in northern Italy, the Essex star still retains roots back home, saying: “Chelmsford [where he considered home], that’s where I’ve grown up most of my life.”

‘Ferrari: It will mark Bearman's full F1 debut’;

https://talksport.com/sport/1779778/...an-grand-prix/

[Fortitude]

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: F1 Qualifying Results.
Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a spectacular lap under the lights in Jeddah.
March 8, 2024
James Phillips
FormulaNerds

Q3: The final segment of qualifying got underway, with Charles Leclerc first out on track. The first flying laps came from Piastri, Hamilton, Russell, and Norris. Russell put half a second ahead of his teammate. Piastri then split the two Mercedes cars. Perez then pulled half a second clear at the top before Fernando Alonso moved into P2. But Max Verstappen looked metronomic on his first lap, pulling three-tenths clear on his teammate.

Leclerc’s first effort in the sole remaining Ferrari saw him end up P4. Stroll ended up P8 after his first rum, Hamilton P9, and Tsunoda P10. With a mix of used and soft tyres for the first runs, all drivers would be on brand-new softs for their final runs. The two Mercedes cars were first out as the session neared its conclusion. All cars were fast on their out lap, wanting to avoid the complications of a red flag. Hamilton and Russell struggled, and both were unable to improve. Hamilton moved to P7 but did gift Alonso a tow while Russell pitted.

‘F1 Qualifying Results’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...fying-results/


Saudi Arabian GP: Qualifying Results
9 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe

Full results from Qualifying from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.

Pos Num Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Diff

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:28.171 1:28.033 1:27.472

2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.318 1:28.112 1:27.791 0.319

3 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:28.638 1:28.467 1:27.807 0.335

4 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:28.706 1:28.122 1:27.846 0.374

5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:28.755 1:28.343 1:28.089 0.617

6 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:28.805 1:28.479 1:28.132 0.660

7 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.749 1:28.448 1:28.316 0.844

8 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.994 1:28.606 1:28.460 0.988

9 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:28.988 1:28.564 1:28.547 1.075

10 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:28.250 1:28.578 1:28.572 1.100

‘Qualifying Results’;

https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...fying-results/


Max Verstappen claims dominant Saudi Arabian GP pole from Charles Leclerc
Max Verstappen claims a dominant pole position at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
08 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen put in a dominant performance to claim pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver was 0.319 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had to settle for second place on the grid for the second consecutive weekend.

But it was another crushing display from Verstappen, with the three-time world champion sealing his first pole at the Jeddah Cornice Circuit.

‘Max Verstappen claims a dominant pole position’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104534...harles-leclerc


2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - qualifying results
8 March 7:08PM
Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen clinched his second pole position out of two with a stunning performance in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman set a benchmark of a 1:27.472 to finish 0.319secs faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez third.

Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest with just 0.050s between him and Leclerc, with McLaren duo following, led by Oscar Piastri.

George Russell was seventh ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, with Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll rounding out the top 10. Ferrari debutant Oliver Bearman agonisingly missed out on Q3 but will start a respectable 11th.

‘Qualifying results’;

https://racingnews365.com/2024-saudi...ifying-results


Gasly hoping to use Saudi Arabian GP to ‘learn more about the car and how to improve it’
08 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Alpine are enduring a tough start to the season with Pierre Gasly qualifying down in P18 in Jeddah – and the Frenchman is simply hoping to use Saturday’s race to improve the team’s understanding of the A524.

‘Alpine are enduring a tough start to the season’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...168115893.html

[Fortitude]

Verstappen set for straightforward win – but Jeddah can spring surprises.
In Max Verstappen’s three championship-winning seasons, he had never once started from pole position in Saudi Arabia.
8th March 2024, 23:06
Will Wood
RaceFans

Verstappen has never enjoyed a simple race in Jeddah. In 2021, he was embroiled in an ugly battle with Hamilton. While he won in 2022, he benefitted from pole-winning team mate Sergio Perez losing the lead to a badly-timed Safety Car. Last year, he likely would have won from pole position, but a driveshaft failure in qualifying left him down in 15th on the grid. He climbed back up to second by the finish.

After his never-headed, lights-to-flag victory in Bahrain last weekend, Verstappen was quick to point out that Jeddah’s much faster, flowing layout and smoother asphalt would “probably help other teams compared to us.” Given that his qualifying advantage was significantly larger than it was a week ago in a car which is stronger over a full stint rather than a single lap, that does not bode well for Red Bull’s rivals.

‘Straightforward win’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/08/...ing-surprises/


Winners and losers from the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying
08 Mar 2024 8:15 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Winners
Max Verstappen: Most of us could have guessed three of the top four in Bahrain before qualifying even got underway: Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso.
Oliver Bearman: My my, how juicy it would have been if Bearman had managed to deny Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari’s marquee signing for 2025, who was clinging on to 10th place late in Q2 – a spot in Q3. A star is born.

Fernando Alonso: Alonso described his own Q3 lap as “exceptional” back in Bahrain and more of it was required again in Jeddah. Fourth on the grid papers nicely over the slight cracks to have developed at Aston Martin in early 2024.
Yuki Tsunoda: With the anger out of his system, it was as if Tsunoda was out to hammer home his point in Jeddah, outqualifying Ricciardo for the second weekend in succession – by a crushing half-a-second margin – to secure a place in Q3.


George Russell: There was one name missing from the collection of great F1 daredevils at the top of the Q3 classification. The pace was very much there, the execution was sorely lacking.
Lewis Hamilton: Put simply, if Merc don’t deliver a car he can work with, Lewis isn’t prepared to drive it to the limit any more.

‘Daniel Ricciardo, Zhou Guanyu, Nico Hulkenberg’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/wi...rix-qualifying


Leclerc: Ferrari qualifying experiment failed
The Ferrari driver banked second on the grid behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
8 March 9:00PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Charles Leclerc has described how a Ferrari experiment did not work during Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying. Leclerc qualified on the front-row for the grand prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit alongside pole-sitter Max Verstappen - the fifth straight race the duo have qualified first and second.

That came after a first Q3 lap in which the Monégasque was 0.800secs down on Verstappen's benchmark time, with the Ferrari managing to whittle that down to 0.319s on his second attempt. Leclerc put this down to Ferrari attempting a different strategy on its first out-lap in Q3, which ultimately did not prove successful.

"The first lap in Q3, we tried something different during the preparation lap, but that didn't work out and then on the second lap, I put everything together," Leclerc explained. "That was what was in the car today , so I am really happy with the lap, it is just a shame that we are a bit further away than we hoped in qualifying. But I hope we'll have a good surprise and be able to challenge the Red Bulls [in the race].”

‘Qualifying experiment failed’;

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-fe...n-saudi-arabia


Leclerc praises substitute Bearman’s “incredible job” in qualifying
8th March 2024, 19:078th March 2024, 19:01
Will Wood
RaceFans

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc says Oliver Bearman did an “incredible job” to qualify 11th on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Bearman was three-hundredths of a second away from reaching Q3, beaten by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc reached Q3 split the Red Bulls in Q3 to secure a front row start. Leclerc said he was impressed by the performance of the team’s reserve driver.

“First of all, I hope Carlos will recover quickly,” Leclerc said. “Then on Ollie’s side, I mean, he’s done an incredible job, obviously, with only one session in FP3. He was straight up to speed and comfortable with the car. So it’s good. I’m happy for him, obviously. It’s a very special day – the first race in Ferrari having done only one session, I guess is even more special. So I hope that tomorrow we can have a great race, both of us and score good points for the team.”

Leclerc tried an unconventional double warm-up lap on his first attempt in the final phase of qualifying, then improved by almost half a second with his final effort to qualify highest behind pole winner Max Verstappen. “The first lap in Q3, we tried something different doing a preparation lap, but that didn’t work out well for us,” Leclerc explained. “Then in the second lap I put everything together and that was what was in the car today. So I’m really happy with the lap. A shame that we are a bit further away than what we hoped in qualifying, but tomorrow’s the race and I hope we’ll have a good surprise and that we’ll be able to challenge the Red Bulls in front.”

“Incredible job”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/08/...in-qualifying/


HEAD-TO-HEAD: See where Verstappen had the edge over Leclerc in 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying
08 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Watch to see how Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen compared in qualifying at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

‘HEAD-TO-HEAD’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...687417974.html


‘Irrelevant’ 23-y/o F1 driver ‘not quick enough’ in Saudi Arabian GP qualifying
Fri 8 March 2024 18:30
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer Andrew Benson has branded Logan Sargeant of Williams as ‘irrelevant’ in masking Alpine’s ‘dark times’ in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP. The 23-year-old posted the slowest time of the day at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Friday evening with a 1:29.526. Only Zhou Guanyu finished Q1 behind Sargeant on the leaderboard after the Sauber ace failed to complete any laps as mechanical issues blighted his session.

Alpine would have feared ending another qualifying session as the slowest cars as Ocon and Gasly locked out the back of the grid at the Bahrain GP. Sargeant joined the French drivers at the wrong end of the order in Sakhir, too. The American had the 18th fastest time last week. The extent of their problems in Bahrain even saw Alpine reshuffle their technical leadership. Out went technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer, who had already offered their resignations. Alpine were still to confirm their departures beforehand.

Joe Burnell has now taken over as Alpine’s technical director of engineering. David Wheater has also assumed the role of technical director of aerodynamics. While Ciaron Pilbeam has taken over as Alpine’s technical director of performance to try and turn their season around. “It isn’t all good for Alpine, let’s be honest,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (8/3, 17:19). “Again for the second race in row they’re the slowest car on the grid. Albon’s ahead of them. Sargeant’s irrelevant, isn’t he? He’s not quick enough. So, this is dark times for Alpine.”

‘Alpine reshuffle their technical leadership’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/irr...gp-qualifying/


Mark Hughes on where Hamilton's Saudi Arabian GP is going wrong
Mar 8, 2024
by Mark Hughes
The Race

Ferrari, having recently signed a Formula 1 driver who will be 40 years old by the time he arrives, has just watched its 18-year-old protege do a stunning late-notice stand-in job in the seat which Lewis Hamilton will occupy next year.

That Ollie Bearman’s performance in Carlos Sainz’s car happened simultaneously with a particularly difficult Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying for Hamilton is just one of those awkward coincidences that motorsport throws up from time to time.

Hamilton made it into Q3 (10th fastest in Q2) and Bearman (11th fastest in Q2) did not. But the difference between them was just 0.036s – and had Bearman not gone just a little too deep into Turn 22 on his first lap, requiring him to try again on tyres past their best, their positions would have been reversed.

‘Awkward coincidences’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...e-mark-hughes/


F1 SAUDI ARABIA GRAND PRIX LIVE | Formula 1 Saudi Arabia GP Race Live Commentary + Watchalong
Scheduled for Mar 9, 2024
Forever Motorsports

Join us here at Forever Motorsports as we bring you live F1 commentary for Grand Prix at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Featuring live F1 commentary and timings with a detailed minimap and F1 News.

‘Watchalong’;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQANNknLWgc

[Fortitude]

Verstappen dominates historic Saudi Arabian GP as Bearman seventh.
Max Verstappen eased to a second maximum score of the season in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a penalised Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc rounded out the podium.
9 March 7:27PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen continued his perfect start to the 2024 Formula 1 season, as he cruised to a 56th career win with a dominant Saudi Arabian Grand Prix display. From pole position, Verstappen quickly gapped the field, headed by Charles Leclerc and then Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez until a Lap 6 Safety Car brought the majority of the field in to swap their Medium tyres for a set of Hard Pirellis.

This Safety Car was caused by Lance Stroll's big crash at Turn 23, but Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were among the four drivers unable to pit to avoid double-stacking behind their team-mates. Norris would take the Lap 10 restart in the lead, and whilst Verstappen tried to fire up his Hard tyres, pulled away, but the World Champion scythed past using DRS at Turn 1 on Lap 13.

Both Perez and Leclerc would eventually clear Norris, who like Hamilton ran long on their Mediums, with the Mexican overcoming a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release on Fernando Alonso during the Safety Car pit-stops. However, he finished well ahead of Leclerc to make it a Red Bull one-two. Ferrari debutant Oliver Bearman scored points on his debut for the team, banking a seventh place finish after a smart drive.

‘Perfect start to the 2024 Formula 1 season’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...as-bearman-xxx


Saudi Arabian GP: Race Results
10 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe

Full results from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff Pts

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 50 laps 25

2 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 13.643 18

3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 18.639 16

4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 32.007 12

5 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 35.759 10

6 63 George Russell Mercedes 39.936 8

7 38 Oliver Bearman Ferrari 42.679 6

8 4 Lando Norris McLaren 45.708 4

9 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 47.391 2

10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 76.996 1

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-gp-race-results/


Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 Race Results
March 9, 2024
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds

Lights out and away we go: Verstappen got a great start off line as he kept the lead of the race into Turn 1. Leclerc and Perez battled for P2 in the opening stages of the race, with the Monegasque driver managing to stay ahead. Halfway through the first lap, Pierre Gasly was told to come into the pits and retire the car. At the start of the second lap, Oscar Piastri overtook Alonso to take P4. With DRS now open on lap three, Bearman and Yuki Tsunoda kept battling it out for P10. A lap later, Bearman’s team-mate lost P2 to Perez after the Mexican driver overtook the Ferrari driver on the main straight.

The closing stages: As we entered into the final ten laps of the race, Bearman was managing his hard tyres really well after pitting on lap 7 earlier in the race under the Safety car. It was going to get tougher for the debutant, who was currently sat in P7 as he was told by the team that he was going to come under some pressure from Norris and Hamilton behind in the final laps of the race.

With only a few laps to go, Verstappen was just starting to slow down and manage his engine but still bolstered more than a six second gap to Perez in second. On the penultimate lap, Daniel Ricciardo took a little bit of a spin but did not sustain any damage. A lap later, Verstappen would go on to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. His team-mate finished in second to make it a back-to-back Red Bull 1-2. Leclerc claimed the fastest lap and final spot on the podium for Ferrari.

‘Back-to-back Red Bull 1-2’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...-race-results/


Red Bull makes easy work of Saudi Arabian GP
Mar 9, 2024
by Ben Anderson
The Race

Red Bull dominated Formula 1’s 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as reigning world champion Max Verstappen led home Sergio Perez by 13.6 seconds for a comfortable one-two finish. Given he’s generally the weaker of the two drivers in the team, Perez is probably the best barometer of the baseline pace of Red Bull’s 2024 F1 car. He DRS’d his way past Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Lando Norris’s McLaren to get himself up into second place, and made it look easy.

NORRIS AND HAMILTON’S GAMBLE: All but four cars made pitstops under an early safety car called after Lance Stroll clipped the inside barrier and crashed heavily at Turn 22 on lap six of 50. Norris’s McLaren and Hamilton’s Mercedes were the two ‘frontrunning’ cars that stayed out, their teams electing not to risk the so-called double-stack pitstop.

BEARMAN STARS: Ollie Bearman finished seventh on his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari. Once into clean air in the middle of the race, Bearman showed he could match the pace of the cars ahead (save for the Red Bulls) and also managed to comfortably hold off the charging Norris and Hamilton at the end.
HAAS SCORES BUT IRRITATES RIVALS: Stroll’s crash left the door open to one of the tier-three 2024 cars to score a point, and that point went to Hulkenberg’s Haas.

‘Easy work of Saudi Arabian GP’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/s...-red-bull-1-2/


Saudi Arabian GP: Another race, another Max Verstappen win, another Red Bull 1-2
09 Mar 2024 6:27 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

It was a fresh battleground, but same result as Max Verstappen led home a Red Bull 1-2 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez was handed a five-second penalty due to an unsafe release which saw Fernando Alonso slam on the brakes, but his advantage over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was enough to ensure that the Red Bull 1-2 was safe.

When the lights went out, Verstappen secured the lead, while Leclerc saw off the threat of Perez after they went side-by-side out of Turn 3. Bearman got through his first F1 start unscathed, but it was game over for Gasly who got the call to retire his Alpine after the first lap. Oscar Piastri meanwhile gave himself the task of masking McLaren’s straight-line pace disadvantage after snatching P4 from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

By Lap 4, Verstappen had ditched Leclerc from DRS range, allowing Perez to muscle his way trough into Turn 1 and establish a Red Bull 1-2 out front. Just as Bearman was catching the eye by turning up the pressure on Yuki Tsunoda, focus switched to Lance Stroll just ahead of that duo as he steamed into the barriers at Turn 22 after clipping the inside wall, triggering the Safety Car.

‘Another race… Max Verstappen win… Red Bull 1-2’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/saudi-...24-race-report


Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Oliver Bearman impresses as Max Verstappen wins again
9 March 2024 at 6:38 pm
Marc Mayo

Oliver Bearman perfectly executed his Formula One debut as Max Verstappen won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On his debut, Bearman enjoyed an early battle with Yuki Tsunoda before swooping past Zhou Guanyu and Nico Hulkenberg, both on older tyres, to settle into ninth place.

With Hamilton and Norris pitting for fresh soft tyres ahead of the final ten laps, they set about chasing the Ferrari teenager down. However, the 18-year-old held on to secure seventh place and six points on his F1 debut having held Norris off with a lead of over two seconds.

‘Oliver Bearman impresses’;

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/saudi-arab...LYistJD196txQr


‘Not having it’: BBC pundit hails F1 driver 31-y/o rival ‘tried to scare’ in Saudi Arabian GP
Sat 9 March 2024 18:30
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer18:36

BBC F1 pundit Jack Aitken has praised Oliver Bearman for how the Ferrari reserve handled Haas star Kevin Magnussen ‘trying to scare’ him in the Saudi Arabian GP.

Oliver Bearman impressed Jack Aitken in the Saudi Arabian GP: Bearman qualified in 11th place as the 18-year-old became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and also the youngest Ferrari driver of all time. The Chelmsford native posted a 1:28.642 lap in Q2 to miss out on the top 10 shootout by 0.036 seconds to Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton.

Magnussen, meanwhile, qualified in 13th place with his 1:29.020. But the 31-year-old moved in front of Williams star Alex Albon in the early laps to chase down Bearman. Yet the Dane’s experienced hustling was not enough to put rookie Bearman off as he firmly held his own.
Jack Aitken: “Magnussen is trying to scare the young Brit out of that position but Bearman is not having it,” Aitken said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He is doing a very good job of protecting his front wing, protecting his car well there.”

‘Not having it’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/bbc...di-arabian-gp/
saudi-arabian-grand-prix-bearman-seventh-on-debut/

[Fortitude]

Bearman's remarkable F1 debut amid usual Verstappen routine at 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.
Max Verstappen clinched a ninth successive victory in the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP. A race, writes Mark Hughes, that was more notable for its lack of drama — save for an assured stand-in drive by Ferrari's Oliver Bearman.
March 10th 2024
Mark Hughes
Motor Sport Magazine

Max Verstappen made it nine race victories in succession, comfortably clear of team mate Sergio Perez who in turn had enough of a margin over Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari that he could overcome the 5sec penalty applied for an unsafe release from his pitstop. There were two remarkable things about this race. The first was the remarkable debut of 18-year-old Oliver Bearman standing in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari while the latter was having his appendix removed. The second was just how uneventful the race was, in contrast to previous grands prix here. Low tyre deg and a safety car which brought most of the field in on the same lap was responsible for that.

Lap 7, Lance Stroll has crashed his Aston Martin, taken just a smidgeon too much track width on the entry to Turn 22 and snapped his left-hand track-rod, giving him no way of steering as he headed straight for a 100mph impact with the tyre barrier. A decision was thus imposed on everyone: to stay out or come in.

So the pack didn’t get mixed up. Only Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and Zhou Guanyu stayed out, so as not to be stacked behind their-team mates in the pits. They all then ran very long, hoping for a late safety car which never came. Norris and Hamilton had been running sixth and eighth respectively before the safety car. They finished eighth and ninth, chasing down Bearman on tyres 30-odd laps older but not catching him before the flag.

‘Bearman's remarkable F1 debut’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Saudi Arabian Grand Prix conclusions: Bearman’s next move, Ricciardo’s decline, more
10 Mar 2024 6:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen secured his second successive victory at the start of the F1 2024 season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Verstappen was joined on the podium by Sergio Perez, who completed another Red Bull one-two finish, and Charles Leclerc, whose teenage team-mate Oliver Bearman stole the show by finishing seventh on debut. To the list of humble, highly self-critical drivers to have arrived in this sport recently add the name of Oliver Bearman, who seemed to find a different area to work on at almost every turn of his F1 debut with Ferrari.

It is hard to think of a more daunting task than a driver making his debut with Ferrari, the sport’s most sacred team, at a circuit as unforgiving as Jeddah, the closest thing F1 has to a superspeedway oval in the US, where speeds get unnervingly high and peril lurks around every single corner. Yet despite the short-notice circumstances of his cameo appearance Bearman – like all of those outstanding talents to have come before him (and helped along the way by Ferrari, who managed a potentially unfavourable situation to perfection) – took to it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Scoring points for seventh place and winning the Driver of the Day award was one thing, but the most instructive snapshot from his weekend came at the close of Q2, when he came within 0.036 seconds of pulling off the irresistible irony of knocking Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari’s big-money signing for 2025, if you haven’t heard – out of qualifying. After apologising to Ferrari, Bearman went on to tell all who would listen he was, if anything, “a bit disappointed with everything. “At the moment, not so proud [of myself],” he added. “The racer in me knows the car was quick enough to be in Q3.” That outlook – no doubt drilled into him by his father David, who lived every single lap from the Ferrari garage – will take him far.

‘Oliver Bearman stole the show by finishing seventh on debut’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/sa...24-conclusions


F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Driver ratings as British teen Oliver Bearman makes Ferrari debut
Oliver Bearman became the youngest Brit to make his F1 debut as the second race of the 2024 season kicked off in Jeddah.
Published 9th Mar 2024, 19:16 GMT
By David George
National World

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 9.5/10. Quickest in all three qualifying sessions and took the victory at a canter.
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 8/10. He was disappointed in his qualifying result, but once again Sergio Perez put his Red Bull into second place early in the grand prix.
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 8.5/10. He did everything that was required of him in what was a hectic weekend for the prancing horses.
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 7.5/10. Once again, Australian driver Oscar Piastri showcased his quality, despite finishing almost 15 seconds behind Leclerc.

5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 8.5/10. Fernando Alonso is one of a select few drivers throughout F1 history who can extract the absolute maximum out of any machinery he's given. Today was no exception.
6. George Russell (Mercedes) - 8/10. Once again beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton…
7. Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) - 9.5/10. What a stellar drive from rookie Oliver Bearman this weekend. I would argue it's the perfect debut, and what really impressed me was his race awareness…

8. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 8/10. Benefitting from the early safety car to skyrocket into the lead, Lando Norris was effectively running a different race to everyone else…
9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 7/10. The seven-time world champion is lagging quite a way behind his teammate George Russell so far this season... with his move to Ferrari locked in for 2025, is Hamilton fighting as fiercely as he has in previous years?
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) - 7/10. Points on the board are great for Haas, though.

‘Driver ratings’;

https://www.nationalworld.com/sport/...atings-4549285


‘A star is born!’ – Oliver Bearman seriously impresses in surprise Ferrari debut at Saudi Arabian GP
09 Mar 2024 7:20 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Oliver Bearman was hailed as a “star” by Damon Hill after the 18-year-old performed brilliantly in his F1 debut to finish seventh. The Briton had just one practice session before his F1 race weekend began in earnest and having just missed out on Q3, he impressed even more on race day.

Bearman became just the 68th driver to score points on their F1 debut as he held off late threats of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to cross the line seventh. Handed Driver of the Day by the fans, praise soon started flooding in for F1’s newest driver.

“Star is born now!” 1996 World Champion Hill tweeted. “Oliver Bearman, to jump in at such short notice, on a track as intimidating as Jeddah, in a Ferrari of all things, and hold up under immense pressure from Lando and Lewis and keep it together. Wow.”

‘A star is born!’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/oliver...udi-arabian-gp


‘No doubt’: Brundle issues verdict on Bearman F1 future after Ferrari star’s Saudi GP debut
Sat 9 March 2024 19:20
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Martin Brundle has praised Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman after a ‘brilliant’ F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP having stepped in for Carlos Sainz at very brief notice. Ferrari only told Bearman that he would be replacing Sainz in the pinnacle of motorsport at 13:30 local time in Jeddah (10:30 GMT) on Friday. Yet he qualified in 11th spot and took the VF-24 into the points this Saturday. Bearman closed out his F1 and Ferrari debut in seventh.

Martin Brundle has ‘no doubt’ Oliver Bearman has an F1 future: Now, Brundle has ‘no doubt’ that Ferrari reserve driver Bearman has a future on the F1 grid. He will return to F2 with Prema for the rest of 2024 with eyes on the title during his second season in the series. Sainz aims to return to his Ferrari at the Australian GP come March 24.

“Congratulations to Ollie Bearman,” Brundle posted on X. “[A] brilliant drive in Jeddah this evening. Kept it on the road, out of the wicked walls and stayed well in touch with – and ahead of – truly world-class drivers. Superb first F1 GP, of many I have no doubt.”

“Congratulations to Ollie Bearman”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...bian-gp-debut/


‘Really clever’: Chandhok saw Bearman do something unusual on F1 debut in Saudi GP
Sat 9 March 2024 19:00
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok noticed Oliver Bearman do one ‘really clever’ thing during the Ferrari reserve driver’s debut at the Saudi Arabian GP on Saturday. Ferrari’s decision to stop Bearman early allowed him to run P7 by the time that Lando Norris and Hamilton stopped. But the Prema F2 sensation had already impressed Chandhok whilst Bearman showed his intelligence when chasing down Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda.

“Bearman is being really clever up at Turn 13,” Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1 (9/3, 17:13). “He’s using a different line to Yuki Tsunoda. He’s not following the normal trajectory through that corner just to get out of the dirty air. Get some more clean air onto his front wing [and] pick up some downforce.”

‘Really clever’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/cha...di-arabian-gp/

[Fortitude]

'We need to look at': Charles Leclerc tells Ferrari to investigate 'weird' Saudi Arabian GP.
Charles Leclerc wants Ferrari to investigate vibrations.
Sun 10 March 2024 18:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Charles Leclerc has told Ferrari they ‘need to look at’ a ‘weird’ issue he experienced at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Speaking to F1TV after the race, Leclerc said he broadly felt comfortable behind the wheel of the SF-24. The 26-year-old claimed the extra point for fastest lap, but says he experienced some odd vibrations that need to be checked.

“I don’t think there was anything to do better today,” he said. “On the medium, we struggled a bit more than expected. On the beginning on the hard we struggled a bit more than we expected.”

“Towards the end we were fast, because we obviously did the fastest lap on the last lap, which was nice. We got helped a little bit with the DRS, but all in all I felt good with the car. There are just a few things that we need to look at. Some weird vibrations, but apart from that all good.”

'We need to look at';

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/cha...d-at-saudi-gp/


Ferrari pick up the pace too late to stop Red Bull running away again
10th March 2024, 8:15
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Red Bull romped to another one-two in Jeddah as Charles Leclerc didn’t have the pace to keep up with them. But the Ferrari driver took some encouragement from the pace of his car towards the end of his stints. Leclerc found it difficult to get his tyres working to begin with, but his pace improved once they came up to temperature.

Leclerc dropped back significantly from Verstappen at this time, and took many more laps to pass Lando Norris in the McLaren. But by the end of the race he was lapping quicker than both Red Bulls. “We were struggling all the time at the beginning of the stints, whether it was at the beginning of the medium or beginning on the hards, we struggled to switch the tyres on,” he explained. “Then towards the end of the stint we were pretty good.”

Leclerc’s pace was strong enough that he was able to beat Verstappen to the fastest lap of the race. They both set their quickest times on the final lap of the race, but only Leclerc beat the time Lewis Hamilton set on a set of soft tyres a dozen laps earlier. “All in all, it’s been a positive race,” Leclerc summarised. “I think we are doing small steps in the right direction.”

‘Ferrari pick up the pace too late’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/10/...ng-away-again/


Vasseur warns against Bearman conclusions after F1 debut
Oliver Bearman enjoyed a dream call up to Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend, scoring a P7 result as he substituted for Carlos Sainz.
10 March 7:00PM
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has insisted that conclusions over Oliver Bearman's Formula 1 future can't be drawn in direct response to his Grand Prix debut.

When asked by RacingNews365 if a 2025 F1 seat is now more likely for Bearman following his debut, Vasseur said: “The best way to help him is not to draw a conclusion today. We have to take it easy, that he will have another opportunity during the season to do FP1, to test the car, we will do it properly.”

“The main focus is and will stay the F2 this season. He has a huge challenge. I will keep in mind also that he was on pole position, and we killed the weekend for him in F2! But he has a huge challenge in F2, and it's the first challenge of the season.”

‘Not to draw a conclusion today’;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-wa...after-f1-debut


Ferrari “contact” three crucial Red Bull engineers who know secrets of RB20
Italian media is certain that Ferrari are trying to recruit key behind-the-scenes Red Bull staff
10 Mar 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Ferrari are reportedly trying to lure a trio of Red Bull engineers who have worked closely on the all-conquering RB20. Italian media insist that Ferrari are trying to take advantage of Red Bull’s off-track controversies by luring crucial behind-the-scenes staff.

The three engineers work closely with Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache, who is the right-hand man of Adrian Newey, Gazzetta report. And Ferrari “tried to approach Wache on several occasions, most recently last year”, Corriere report.

Ferrari have tried, and failed, to tempt Newey from Red Bull before. The ongoing drama at Red Bull means they could make a new approach, Corriere report. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was named “the beginning of the hunt for Adrian Newey” by the Italian newspaper. Newey’s future is “not tied” to Max Verstappen’s, it is reported.

‘Ferrari “contact” three crucial Red Bull engineers’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104551...w-secrets-rb20


Leclerc says ‘it’s a matter of time’ before Bearman joins F1 grid after Saudi stand-in performance
10 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Charles Leclerc has heaped praise on his surprise stand-in Ferrari team mate for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Ollie Bearman, remarking that the Briton’s points-scoring debut was likely just the beginning of a longer career in Formula 1. Reflecting on Bearman’s race after finishing P3 himself behind the Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Leclerc said that the teenager’s performance had been “extremely impressive".

He continued: “I think everybody has seen that, but obviously having him in the same garage, seeing how he worked and how he approached this whole situation with so much calm was very, very impressive – obviously with so much excitement as well. But it was really impressive. I think he has shown the whole paddock what he was capable of and I think after a performance like that, it's a matter of time before we see him permanently in the Formula 1 paddock.”

‘It’s a matter of time’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...HGphDOAbt.html


'I understand': Simon Lazenby shares what he heard about Carlos Sainz paddock visit at Saudi GP
Sun 10 March 2024 17:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Carlos Sainz ignored doctors’ orders in visiting the paddock for Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby says. Sainz underwent surgery after he was diagnosed with appendicitis, causing him to miss the race. And Lazenby has revealed that he was advised against attending the event so soon. Simon Lazenby says Carlos Sainz ignored doctors’ orders.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s post-race show, Lazenby shared what he’d heard about Sainz’s unexpected arrival. The 29-year-old was apparently determined to make it even though he was instructed to continue resting after his procedure. Lazenby said: “The fact that he got up, against doctors’ orders I understand, he wanted to come here, he really did, and go into the back of the garage.”

Will Sainz return for Australian Grand Prix? Sainz will now hope to demonstrate his fitness to return to the cockpit for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in two weeks’ time. Precedent suggests it’s possible, with Williams driver Alex Albon making a comeback at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix within a couple of weeks of a similar procedure. Each case is different, however, and Ferrari won’t want to take undue risks so early in a 24-round championship.

‘Sainz paddock visit at Saudi GP’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/sim...paddock-visit/

[Fortitude]

Piastri: P4 in Saudi Arabia ‘the most we could have done’.
Oscar Piastri finished just one place off the podium in Jeddah having got past Fernando Alonso to claim P4, which he said was the maximum he could have achieved on the day.
09 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Piastri: P4 in Saudi Arabia’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...872859950.html


Piastri voices 'frustration' over Hamilton F1 battle
Oscar Piatri claimed a strong fourth place result at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but spent much of the race tucked in behind the rear wing of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.
10 March 2024, 11:30AM
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Oscar Piastri has admitted frustration after being unable to overtake Lewis Hamilton for position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Much of the Australian driver's race in Jeddah was spent following the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who opted to extend his opening stint and not pit when a Safety Car was called following a crash for Lance Stroll on lap 7.

McLaren highlighted earlier in the race weekend that it was down on straight-line performance compared to its rivals, particularly in the DRS zones. Its disadvantage was evident when Piastri was unable to overtake Hamilton despite several attempts at Turn 1. The 22-year-old was eventually released when the seven-time World Champion pitted on lap 36, setting up an unchallenged run to the finish line.

“I'm not sure fun is the word I would use [to describe the battle],” Piastri told media including RacingNews365. “Frustrating, yes. I think it kind of just showed a couple of weaknesses of ours, definitely. I was very relieved when he boxed out of the way. I just didn't quite have enough on the straights to get past.”

'Frustration';

https://racingnews365.com/piastri-vo...lton-f1-battle


Frustrated Piastri says Hamilton battle showed McLaren weaknesses
Oscar Piastri was left frustrated after finding himself stuck behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton for 20 laps during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
10 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Though running in the wheel tracks of the Mercedes ahead, Piastri struggled to find a way through as the pair scrapped over fifth place through the middle of the 50-lap encounter on the Jeddah Corniche street circuit. While competitive through the highspeed opening sector of the lap, McLaren's top speed was a weakness, and its DRS proved less efficient than others.

It meant Piastri only enjoyed a marginal benefit when he opened the rear flap, meaning drawing alongside early enough to make a move stick into Turn 1 was difficult. That saw the 22-year-old attempt to get it done under brakes and twice skate through the run-off at Turn 1, handing the position back to Hamilton on both occasions. Even when Hamilton began to struggle with tyre wear, the McLaren didn't have enough in hand for Piastri to capitalise.

“It's very, very even [between McLaren and Mercedes],” he reasoned. “We have different strengths and weaknesses, for sure, and I think qualifying made the difference today. Lewis showed that if we qualified behind them, there was a good chance we were going to be stuck behind them for the whole night. So I think it's very, very tight between us and we need to do some work to try and jump them and catch the two teams ahead.”

‘McLaren weaknesses’;

https://speedcafe.com/frustrated-pia...en-weaknesses/


Piastri reveals secrets behind improved McLaren qualifying
McLaren enjoyed a strong qualifying result in Saudi Arabia as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ended the session in fifth and sixth respectively.
9 March 2024, 2:15PM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

After McLaren locked out the third row of the grid in Saudi Arabia, Oscar Piastri has divulged the details behind the effort. It marked an improved effort from McLaren compared to the season-opening race in Bahrain, where the duo secured starting positions on the fourth row. McLaren was adamant that its Bahrain form would not be reflective of its true pace for the season ahead as it has traditionally struggled around the configuration.

Piastri stated that the track characteristics in Jeddah played into McLaren's hands during qualifying. “The car felt pretty good, it’s probably the happiest I’ve been with the car so far,” Piastri told media including RacingNews365. “With the track surface here and the circuit layout as well, it's just a little bit more friendly to us versus Bahrain.”

‘Strong qualifying result’;

https://racingnews365.com/piastri-re...ren-qualifying


REVIEW: Oscar Piastri: The Rookie
Oscar Piastri is one of the brightest and best-credentialled talents to hit Formula 1 since Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.
9 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe

The Australian made his debut at the sport's pinnacle last season with McLaren, following a hugely successful junior career that netted him three titles in as many years on the ladder to F1. It is that story that Andrew van Leeuwen, Speedcafe's editorial director, has captured in his latest book, Oscar Piastri: The Rookie.

Van Leeuwen has followed Piastri's rise through karting to the sport's peak, speaking to the key players along the way. That includes insight from karting champion David Sera, who recalls his reaction to the raw talent he saw in Piastri's earliest days on track.

Sera's insight is fascinating and offers a glimpse into the ingredients that helped the young Aussie achieve so much early success. He recounts how character traits that have become a hallmark of Piastri, even a trademark, were already beginning to reveal themselves.

‘Latest book, Oscar Piastri: The Rookie’;

https://speedcafe.com/review-oscar-piastri-the-rookie/


McLaren 'in a strong position to score good points'
21:15 Fri, 08 Mar 2024.
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were feeling upbeat after qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday which will see Piastri lining up in fifth place alongside Norris in P6. "I think that was probably the most we could have got out of it," Piastri said of his grid position for tomorrow's race.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was also in a positive frame of mind after qualifying, feeling that it had set them up nicely for a successful race. “A good result for the team today in qualifying puts us in a strong position to score good points tomorrow," Stella said.

"Lando and Oscar made constant improvements today, session-by-session, and put together competitive laps in a field that was tight all the way through qualifying. With Lando, we decided to bias the tyre strategy slightly more towards the race, so it’s good that he’s up there in qualifying," he pointed out.

‘Strong position to score good points’;

https://f1i.com/news/502129-mclaren-...od-points.html


Piastri has more to prove after Bahrain promise
Oscar Piastri has more to prove despite showing improved race and tyre management during last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
7 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Piastri was eighth last Saturday night, two places behind team-mate Lando Norris – a result arguably a result of a strategy error that allowed Lewis Hamilton to undercut the Australian and steal seventh. The Bahrain circuit has not typically played to McLaren's strengths and saw pre-season expectations progressively walked back. The slower speed corners, coupled with an abrasive tarmac in Bahrain highlight the weaknesses that remain in the MCL38.

Though efforts and progress have been made to improve the car, some traits of the MCL60 have carried over. As a result, there were question marks about how Piastri and Norris would fare in the season opener. Even still, the Woking squad left the weekend fourth in the constructors' championship with 12 points – it took three races (and some fortuitous circumstances) to accrue the same number in 2023.

‘More to prove’;

https://speedcafe.com/piastri-has-mo...hrain-promise/

[Fortitude]

Alonso hails ‘step in the right direction’ for Aston Martin after battling with rivals en route to P5 in Jeddah.
Fernando Alonso was left satisfied with his P5 result in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the Spaniard suggesting that his Aston Martin team have made progress from the season-opening round in Bahrain.
10 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site

After starting from fourth place on the grid, Alonso lost a place to the McLaren of Oscar Piastri in the opening laps but continued to pressure the Australian. He then benefitted from making a pit stop under the Safety Car – which was called on Lap 7 following a crash for his team mate Lance Stroll – given that two of the cars close to him on track, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, opted to stay out.

From there Alonso went on to finish in fifth, three seconds behind Piastri in fourth and four seconds clear of sixth-placed George Russell. “I feel great,” Alonso commented after the race, before joking as he tried to speak over the loud post-race fireworks: “I feel a little more uncomfortable now!”

‘Step in the right direction’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...MsnfFchzf.html


Alonso keeps pressure on for constant car upgrades
MARCH 11, 2024
GrandPrix.com

Let's see how Australia turns out, Alonso said. "I think we made a small step from Bahrain to Jeddah. We are fast on one lap but in the race we can't beat the McLarens and the Mercedes. We were just lucky to be in front of them. We have to find solutions for the next race.”

De la Rosa concurs that the “pending issue” the Silverstone based team must solve is excessive tyre degradation over longer runs - on top of last year's problem which was a stalled car development program. “When you want and have to improve in F1, you can only achieve it with changes or improvements”, he said. "This is no secret.”

“The team's objective is not to race with the same car for two races in a row. There is no improvement plan for Australia, but they are in the oven.” And de la Rosa said Aston Martin now needs to show that its upgrade program is up to scratch with the top teams. “You improve, but others improve”, he said. “And compared to the others, sometimes your improvements are smaller, which seems like things are getting worse.”

‘Pressure on for constant car upgrades’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/alons...-upgrades.html


Aston Martin facing 'nice challenge' in tight midfield - Alonso
Fernando Alonso banked fifth in Saudi Arabia beating some faster cars to the flag.
10 March 2024, 6:20PM
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Fernando Alonso expects Aston Martin to face a "nice challenge" in the Formula 1 midfield after a tight Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. "I'm definitely happy with the race result, in front of both Mercedes, one McLaren and one Ferrari - it is the maximum we can wish for at the moment," Alonso told media including RacingNews365.

"We saw in the race that we are still missing two or three-tenths compared to Mercedes and McLaren, maybe a little bit more compared to Red Bull and Ferrari in qualifying, but it is pretty close. We just need to keep working on the race pace. It was better as we did introduce new parts on [Thursday] and then worked really well, and we did make a step forward in terms of performance.”

"When George [Russell] overtook Nico [Hulkenberg], they were coming so fast and I thought: 'Okay this is going to be a difficult race' but we could hold George behind us for the whole race. But we are still missing two or three-tenths and we will keep chasing that performance - it is challenging but it is a nice challenge and an interesting season ahead."

‘Happy with the race result’;

https://racingnews365.com/aston-mart...idfield-alonso


‘P5 tastes really good’ says beaming Alonso after strong race in Jeddah
Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin “still need to make another step – especially on race pace”, but was nonetheless very pleased to seal fifth place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
09 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘P5 tastes really good’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...474448977.html


Aston Martin make ‘no secret’ of Fernando Alonso status with F1 future in doubt
11 Mar 2024 8:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

It’s “no secret” Aston Martin want to re-sign Fernando Alonso for the 2025 season, if not longer, but Mike Krack admits first the Spaniard has to decide if he wants to continue in Formula 1.

Aston Martin team boss Krack says it’s “no secret” his driver is debating his future amidst rumours he could even take Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be-vacant seat at Mercedes. However, Krack is determined to hold onto his star driver. “It’s no secret that he first of all wants to decide for himself what he wants to do. And I think it’s also no secret that I keep saying that we want to continue working with Fernando.”

“I have also said the most important thing is that we give him a quick car, so that he believes in this project, and that he believes in this team, and everything else we will discuss over the weeks to come. Now, it is clear a driver of his calibre is attractive for everybody, that’s clear, but we will try to keep him.”

‘No secret’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...e-aston-martin


Alonso eyeing a move? Keeps Aston on toes for upgrades
March 11, 2024
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

Amid ongoing rumours regarding his future contract negotiations set for 2025, Fernando Alonso continues to exert pressure on Aston Martin for perpetual car upgrades. At 42, the Spaniard is rumoured to be considering extraordinary moves to either Mercedes or Red Bull next year, after qualifying impressively in fourth place and securing fifth in the Saudi Arabian race.

Pedro de la Rosa, a longtime friend and now an ambassador for Aston Martin, emphasized, “The computers were not saying fifth, and that is because of the human factor. And thank goodness for that,” attributing the unexpected outcome to Alonso’s skill, indicating he’s exceeding the capabilities of the 2024 Aston Martin model.

Both Alonso and de la Rosa are adamant about the team’s need for genuine and ongoing development at each race of the season, suggesting that despite the car’s current pace, there’s an essential need for improvement to stay competitive.

‘Ongoing rumours’;

https://grandpx.news/alonso-eyeing-a...-for-upgrades/


‘He is looking elsewhere’: £270k-a-week driver now becoming more and more unhappy – journalist
Mon 11 March 2024 13:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is becoming more and more unhappy at the team despite a positive result in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. When Lance Stroll put his car in the wall in Jeddah, Mike Krack’s team were relying on the experienced Spaniard to deliver points. He put in another fantastic display but speaking on The Race Podcast, Samarth Kanal believes he’s now seeing if he can move on ahead of the 2025 season.

Speaking about the 42-year-old, Kanal said: “I think his unhappiness is growing bit by bit. He’s let out little hints that he is looking elsewhere now and especially Hamilton’s move to Ferrari next year might have opened up a bit door for Alonso to explore there.”

“Now, I can’t say for sure if he’ll move to Mercedes but what I can say is that he is looking elsewhere and with races where the Aston Martin isn’t quite keeping up to the pace with other teams, Alonso does seem to imply afterwards that it has had an effect on his mindset when it comes to contract discussions.”

‘He is looking elsewhere’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/270...-current-team/