Saudi Arabia GP: McLaren duo remain favourite as Red Bull’s Verstappen aims to steer clear

An atypical chill, gentle breeze invited the paddock to the Jeddah Corniche circuit ahead of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix weekend. The street circuit will play host to the last race of the Asian triple-header – the fifth race of what is turning out to be an enterprising Formula One season.

The top three in the Driver’s Championship are separated by just eight points heading into the weekend, and the 50-lap affair will be an opportunity for one of them to steer clear before the bandwagon shifts halfway around the world to Miami, in two weeks. 

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has been the most successful driver in the year so far, bagging impressive wins in Bahrain and China. The Australian trails his teammate and championship leader, Lando Norris, by three points, largely due to the unfortunate trip through the grass during his season-opening home race, which relegated him to ninth on the day. 

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The Woking-based outfit has had the car to beat since the summer break last year, and the team has swept to an early lead in the Constructors’ standings, enjoying a 58-point cushion over second-placed Mercedes. 

Nestled in third in the driver’s standings is defending champion Max Verstappen, whose impressive win at Suzuka ensured that he remains in the conversation for a fifth title despite the car’s struggles this season. 

Jeddah has been one of Max’s best tracks over the last few years, with the Dutchman being the only driver to have graced the podium in every edition of the race. But on Thursday, the 27-year-old was bombarded with questions about his future, with several media outlets reporting that the four-time champion is looking to switch teams amid the uncertainty surrounding the Red Bull Racing car.

“Honestly, a lot of people are talking about it, except me,” a miffed Verstappen told reporters during the pre-race driver’s press conference.

“I just want to focus on my car and work with the people in the team. That’s the only thing that I’m thinking about in Formula 1 at the moment,” he added. 

After the high of Japan, Verstappen had a more humbling weekend at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain, struggling to keep up with the leading pack, needing a last-lap overtake over Pierre Gasly to finish sixth and bag eight points. 

“I hope a bit better than Bahrain,” Verstappen said about his expectations this weekend. “A few more high-speed corners, different tarmac. I hope that we can be a bit more competitive. We’re still trying things with the car, just setup-wise and other things that we can improve. That’s what we’ll try to do again this weekend,” he added. 

The Dutch driver enjoyed a productive Free Practice 2 session on Friday, finishing just shy of the Papaya cars, keeping him in good stead for the rest of the weekend. 

Positive signs

After the disastrous outing in China, where both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified after the race, Scuderia Ferrari has managed to reel in a few points over the next two race weekends – Leclerc, in particular, collecting back-to-back fourth-place finishes. 

Hamilton has had a tougher time behind the Prancing Horse since his Sprint win in China – his fifth-place finish in Sakhir his best finish so far. The floor upgrades seemed to have worked their magic in Bahrain, but the intervention of the Safety Car riddled its strategy and eventually, the outcome.

While speaking to select media at the team’s hospitality box, Leclerc suggested that the team is on an upward trajectory after the update but continues to be ‘three-tenths’ behind McLaren. 

“I think we are taking steps in the right direction. We’ve been taking slightly different directions in the last few races, which I particularly like, and if we keep finding gains by going in that direction, I hope we can score our first podium, but my hope is a bit more than that,” the Monegasque driver said. 

With the Friday sessions suggesting that Mercedes have their work cut out with their car setup, this could be the weekend where the Italian powerhouse breaks its podium duck this season.

Continuous Improvement

Another side on the rise has been Williams Racing, which has managed to overhaul the entirety of last season’s points tally within the first four Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz, though, cut a frustrated figure in the paddock after another points opportunity missed last week. The former Ferrari driver has managed only a solitary point in four races so far and spoke at length about the issues he and the team are facing.

“We are still struggling a bit with an underlying balance issue that we are trying to get rid of. I think, as a team, it’s fundamental that we improve this. It might be the thing that has been holding Williams back in the last few years,” the Spaniard suggested. 

“We’re both very aligned on where the car needs to improve,” concurred teammate Alex Albon. “It’s true that maybe over time I’ve just become a bit more exceptional on how to drive the car, and he’s brought that fresh energy to get it to where he wants it to be.”

As the season rolls towards its fifth race, many teams are getting a clearer idea of where their machine is lacking compared to its rivals. Just four points separate Aston Martin in sixth and Kick Sauber in tenth in the Constructors’ standings. Finding the perfect window for the car each week could make or break the season amid this neck-and-neck battle.  

“I think out of the four races that we’ve done, we got the maximum out of the car on two occasions,” said Haas’ Esteban Ocon. “This car hasn’t been easy to set up right, to get the consistency right, to get under certain issues, and this is what we’re working on,” he added.

Two-time champ Fernando Alonso, celebrating his 50th Grand Prix with Aston, also spoke about his team’s struggles to garner positive momentum early in the season. 

“The results on track on Sunday are not the same as before. This is just a transition time where we have to learn things and prepare the team differently for the time we have the car ready to fight for championships,” the 43-year-old said. 

Can Piastri eclipse Norris to become the first Australian to lead the Championship since his mentor Mark Webber in 2010? Will Ferrari’s upgrades and a positive Friday help propel it towards an unlikely front-row spot in qualifying? The fastest street race of the year, around the 6.174km circuit decked with 27 corners, will provide the answers.