Verstappen seals assured victory in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bearman scores points on debut

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Max Verstappen continued his dominant title defence with a commanding victory in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while the race behind him was filled with electrifying action.

Starting from pole, Verstappen maintained a strong lead throughout the 50-lap race, despite an early Safety Car which saw a frenzy of activity in the pit lane. Red Bull executed a risky double-stack strategy with impressive precision.

Sergio Perez secured second place, marking a second consecutive one-two finish for Red Bull. The Mexican driver received a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release into Fernando Alonso's path during the congested pit stop, but maintained a sufficient gap to third-placed Charles Leclerc to keep his position secure.

Leclerc rounded off the podium, followed by Oscar Piastri in fourth. Piastri spent much of the race attempting to overtake Lewis Hamilton, who was one of the few drivers to stay out during the early pit stops.

Fernando Alonso claimed fifth place as the sole Aston Martin finisher, after teammate Lance Stroll triggered a Safety Car by crashing into the barriers on Lap 7. Alonso successfully fended off late-race pressure from George Russell, who finished sixth.

In a memorable Formula 1 debut, Oliver Bearman, substituting for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari due to Sainz’s appendicitis diagnosis, secured P7. Bearman impressed with several overtakes during his notable drive.

Bearman led a pack of British drivers, with Lando Norris finishing eighth and Hamilton in ninth. Both Norris and Hamilton extended their opening stints on medium tyres before pitting in the latter half of the race.

Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10, earning Haas’s first point of the season. He benefitted from a team strategy that saw Kevin Magnussen hold up competitors, creating space for Hulkenberg after his pit stop.

Alex Albon narrowly missed out on points, finishing in P11, despite notable overtakes in midfield battles, including on Yuki Tsunoda. Magnussen ended the race in P12, having been handed two separate 10-second time penalties.

Esteban Ocon was the sole Alpine finisher in P13, while Tsunoda led the RB cars in P14. Williams’ Logan Sargeant finished in P15, and Daniel Ricciardo’s quiet afternoon saw him in P16, marred only by a final-lap spin.

The Kick Sauber drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, were the last to finish in P17 and P18 respectively.

Stroll’s early crash made him one of two retirements, alongside Pierre Gasly, who reported a gearbox issue on the Formation Lap, ending his race prematurely.

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