Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Spanish Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, finished in third place on Sunday during the second round of the World Championship held in Saudi Arabia. Red Bull celebrated a milestone with its 100th podium, while Carlos Sainz of Ferrari finished sixth in a race that featured a tense battle among Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen.
Alonso remained upbeat about Aston Martin’s progress despite a few hiccups that nearly cost him a podium finish. He did not start with ideal car positioning and received a five-second penalty. Early in the race, a minor incident occurred at a pit stop where a mechanic tapped the car with a jack, prompting an FIA review that briefly threatened to push him down the order.
Ultimately, Aston Martin saw a payoff. After a lengthy wait of about three hours, Alonso returned to the podium with a determined drive. He started from a strong position, fended off stiff competition after a safety car period with 30 laps remaining, and stayed on the heels of the leaders, just a tenth of a second away at several points.
Pérez remained resilient as Verstappen, who finished fifteenth, secured second place. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth. Sainz and Leclerc endured a challenging weekend for Ferrari, as their cars faced the normal stresses of pit stops and the race pace demanded by the Saudi circuit.
In the race results, Pérez led Red Bull with a time of 1:21:14,894, followed by Verstappen, who crossed the line 5.355 seconds later. Alonso completed the podium with a time of 1:20,728. Russell and Hamilton rounded out the top five, while Sainz placed sixth and Leclerc seventh. Ocon, Gasly, and Magnussen finished eighth, ninth, and tenth respectively, as the field battled throughout the event.
In the Drivers World Cup standings, Verstappen sits first with 44 points, Pérez second with 43, and Alonso third with 30. Sainz, Hamilton, and Russell occupy the next positions, while Lance Stroll stands eighth for Aston Martin. Leclerc and Bottas trail in the following spots, with Ocon and Gasly also earning points from Alpine. The grid’s depth and the evolving form across teams set the stage for an intriguing season as drivers push toward the calendar’s mid-year marks.
Other notes from the weekend include ongoing discussion around race strategy, balance between aggression and consistency, and how teams balance aerodynamics with reliability in the high-speed Saudi circuit. The event demonstrated the ongoing competitiveness and the drama that defines modern Formula 1, with Alonso reclaiming a podium position after some initial setbacks and the Red Bull squad marking a prestigious milestone in the sport’s history.
These results and performances add more chapters to the season’s narrative, highlighting how even seasoned champions can face unanticipated challenges while younger talents seize opportunities to shine on one of the sport’s toughest stages.