2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Grand Prix:Saudi Arabian
Previous Round:2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
Next Round:2024 Australian Grand Prix
Details Ref:[1]
Date:9 March
Year:2024
Official Name:Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
Race No:2
Season No:24
Location:Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Course:Street Circuit
Course Km:6.174
Course Mi:3.836
Distance Laps:50
Distance Km:308.450
Distance Mi:191.662
Weather:Clear
Pole Driver:Max Verstappen
Pole Country:NED
Pole Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Pole Time:1:27.472
Fast Driver:Charles Leclerc
Fast Country:MON
Fast Team:Ferrari
Fast Time:1:31.632
Fast Lap:50
First Driver:Max Verstappen
First Country:NED
First Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Second Driver:Sergio Pérez
Second Country:MEX
Second Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Third Driver:Charles Leclerc
Third Country:MON
Third Team:Ferrari

The 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024) was a Formula One motor race held on 9 March 2024 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The race was the second round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship.

Max Verstappen won the race from pole position, taking his 100th podium, his ninth victory in a row, and his second victory of the season. This race saw the Grand Prix debut of Formula 2 driver Oliver Bearman, who substituted for Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari. Bearman finished in seventh place scoring his first points in Formula One.

Background

The event was held across 7–9 March. It was the second round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and the fourth running of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.[2]

The Grand Prix was scheduled for a Saturday to accommodate Ramadan, which began on 10 March.[3]

Championship standings before the race

Going into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship with 26 points, 8 points from his teammate Sergio Pérez in second, and 11 from Carlos Sainz Jr. in third. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship over Ferrari by 17 points, and Mercedes by 28 points.[4]

Entrants

The drivers and teams were initially the same as the season entry list.[5] However, Ferrari reserve and Formula 2 driver Oliver Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz Jr. starting from the third free practice session, after Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and withdrew from the event to undergo surgery.[6] Bearman made his Formula One debut.[7]

Tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C2, C3, and C4 tyre compounds (the middle three in their range) designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event.[8]

Practice

Three free practice sessions were held for the event. The first free practice session was held on 7 March 2024, at 16:30 local time (UTC+3), and was topped by Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing ahead of Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez.[9] [5] The second free practice session was held on the same day and was scheduled at 20:00 local time, but was delayed by ten minutes as bolts were checked on drain covers in the pit lane.[10] The session was topped by Alonso ahead of George Russell of Mercedes and Verstappen.[11] The third free practice session was held on 8 March 2024, at 16:30 local time, and was topped by Verstappen ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Verstappen's teammate Pérez. The session was red-flagged after Sauber's Zhou Guanyu lost control of his car and crashed into the barriers, but was resumed after necessary repairs to the barriers were carried out.[12]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on 8 March 2024, at 20:00 local time (UTC+3).[1]

Qualifying classification

DriverConstructor
Q1Q2Q3
11data-sort-value="ver" Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT1:28.1711:28.0331:27.4721
216data-sort-value="lec" Charles LeclercFerrari1:28.318 1:28.112 1:27.791 2
311data-sort-value="per" Sergio PérezRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT1:28.638 1:28.467 1:27.807 3
414data-sort-value="alo" Fernando Alonso1:28.706 1:28.122 1:27.846 4
581data-sort-value="pia" Oscar PiastriMcLaren-Mercedes1:28.755 1:28.343 1:28.089 5
64data-sort-value="nor" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes1:28.805 1:28.479 1:28.132 6
763data-sort-value="rus" George RussellMercedes1:28.749 1:28.448 1:28.316 7
844data-sort-value="ham" Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:28.994 1:28.606 1:28.460 8
922data-sort-value="tsu" Yuki TsunodaRB-Honda RBPT1:28.988 1:28.564 1:28.547 9
1018data-sort-value="str" Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco-Mercedes1:28.250 1:28.578 1:28.572 10
1138data-sort-value="bea" Oliver BearmanFerrari1:28.984 1:28.642 data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A11
1223data-sort-value="alb" Alexander AlbonWilliams-Mercedes1:29.107 1:28.980 data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A12
1320data-sort-value="mag" Haas-Ferrari1:29.069 1:29.020 data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A13
143data-sort-value="ric" Daniel RicciardoRB-Honda RBPT1:29.065 1:29.025 data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A14
1527data-sort-value="hul" Haas-Ferrari1:29.055 No timedata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A15
1677data-sort-value="bot" Valtteri BottasKick Sauber-Ferrari1:29.179 data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A16
1731data-sort-value="oco" Esteban OconAlpine-Renault1:29.475 data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A17
1810data-sort-value="gas" Pierre GaslyAlpine-Renault1:29.479 data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A18
192data-sort-value="sar" Logan SargeantWilliams-Mercedes1:29.526 data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A19
107% time

1:34.342

24data-sort-value="zho" Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber-FerrariNo timedata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A20
Source:[13] [14]
Notes

Race

The race was held on 9 March 2024, at 20:00 local time (UTC+3), and was run for 50 laps.[1]

Race report

At the starting grid, Norris appeared to jump the start but the stewards did not issue any penalty as the FIA's standardised grid box transponder did not detect an infringement. The sporting regulations require these transponders to detect an infringement for a penalty to be issued.[15] There were two retirements. Before the race, on the formation lap, Pierre Gasly reported gearbox issues which forced him to retire before the start of the race. Lance Stroll retired on lap 7 due to a crash at Turn 23 which brought out a safety car. Kevin Magnussen of Haas accumulated 20 seconds worth of penalties. One of these was a 10 second penalty for a collision with Alexander Albon, and the other 10 second penalty was for overtaking Yuki Tsunoda off-track. Knowing that he was unlikely to finish in the points, the team ordered him to focus on defence during the wide parts of the circuit, and drive as slowly as possible in the narrow parts of the circuit while overtaking is most difficult. With Magnussen backing up the drivers behind, Nico Hülkenberg successfully finished tenth and earned a point for the team.[16]

Polesitter Max Verstappen won the race ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez, marking a second straight 12 for Red Bull Racing, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in third with one extra point for the fastest lap. This marked Verstappen's 100th career podium.[17] McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished fourth with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in fifth. Mercedes' George Russell finished sixth with Ferrari debutant Oliver Bearman in seventh. They were followed by Lando Norris, who briefly led the Grand Prix, in eighth, and Lewis Hamilton in ninth, after both drivers attempted an alternate tyre strategy. Nico Hülkenberg claimed the final point in tenth, clinching his and Haas's first point of the season.[18]

Race classification

DriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredPoints
11data-sort-value="ver" Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT501:20:43.273 125
211data-sort-value="per" Sergio PérezRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT50+13.643318
316data-sort-value="lec" Charles LeclercFerrari50+18.639216
481data-sort-value="pia" Oscar PiastriMcLaren-Mercedes50+32.007512
514data-sort-value="alo" Fernando Alonso50+35.759410
663data-sort-value="rus" George RussellMercedes50+39.93678
738data-sort-value="bea" Oliver BearmanFerrari50+42.679116
84data-sort-value="nor" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes50+45.70864
944data-sort-value="ham" Lewis HamiltonMercedes50+47.39182
1027data-sort-value="hul" Nico HülkenbergHaas-Ferrari50+1:16.996151
1123data-sort-value="alb" Alexander AlbonWilliams-Mercedes50+1:28.35412
1220data-sort-value="mag" Haas-Ferrari50+1:45.73713
1331data-sort-value="oco" Esteban OconAlpine-Renault49+1 lap17
142data-sort-value="sar" Logan SargeantWilliams-Mercedes49+1 lap19
1522data-sort-value="tsu" Yuki TsunodaRB-Honda RBPT49+1 lap9
163data-sort-value="ric" Daniel RicciardoRB-Honda RBPT49+1 lap14
1777data-sort-value="bot" Valtteri BottasKick Sauber-Ferrari49+1 lap16
1824data-sort-value="zho" Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber-Ferrari49+1 lap20
Ret18data-sort-value="str" Lance Stroll5Accident10
Ret10data-sort-value="gas" Pierre GaslyAlpine-Renault1Gearbox18
Fastest lap

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:31.632 (lap 50)

Source:[19] [20] [21]
Notes

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
DriverPoints
1 Max Verstappen51
2 Sergio Pérez36
13 Charles Leclerc28
14 George Russell18
35 Oscar Piastri16
Source:[22]
Constructors' Championship standings
ConstructorPoints
1 Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT87
2 Ferrari49
13 McLaren-Mercedes28
14

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Race . 4 March 2024 . Formula 1.
  2. Web site: Saudi Arabia . StatsF1.com . 4 March 2024.
  3. Web site: Bekking . Casper . 10 February 2024 . Why F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs are on Saturday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240221040711/https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-2024-why-bahrain-saudi-gp-on-saturday/10574516/ . 21 February 2024 . 24 February 2024 . Motorsport.com.
  4. Web site: Bahrain 2024 – Championship. Stats F1. 2 March 2024. 2 March 2024.
  5. Web site: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – P1 Classification . . 7 March 2024 . 7 March 2024.
  6. Web site: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Revised Entry List. . 8 March 2024 . 8 March 2024.
  7. Web site: Bearman replaces Sainz at Ferrari for Saudi Arabian GP after appendicitis diagnosis . Autosport . Cleeren . Filip . 8 March 2024.
  8. Web site: 1 December 2023 . 2024 Tyre Compound Choices – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia . 24 February 2024 . Pirelli.
  9. Web site: Gale . Ewan . 7 March 2024 . Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Free Practice 1 results. 7 March 2024. Racingnews365.
  10. Web site: Gale . Ewan . 7 March 2024 . Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Free Practice 2 delayed. 7 March 2024. Racingnews365.
  11. Web site: Gale . Ewan . 7 March 2024 . Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Free Practice 2 results . 7 March 2024. Racingnews365.
  12. Web site: Gale . Ewan . 7 March 2024 . Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Free Practice 3 results . 7 March 2024. Racingnews365.
  13. Web site: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Final Qualifying Classification . . 8 March 2024. 9 March 2024.
  14. Web site: Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – Starting Grid. Formula 1. 8 March 2024. 8 March 2024.
  15. News: Wood . Will . Stewards explain why Norris avoided jump start penalty . 11 March 2024 . RaceFans . 9 March 2024.
  16. Web site: "We really earned it today" Kevin happy to help Haas score 'huge' point . Formula 1 . 2024-04-18.
  17. Web site: 'It's 88 missed podiums!' – Verstappen reflects on 100th F1 rostrum appearance as he praises 'fantastic' Bearman . 9 March 2024 . Formula One Management.
  18. Web site: 9 March 2024 . Verstappen seals assured victory in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Bearman scores points on debut . Formula1.com.
  19. Web site: Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – Race Result. Formula 1. 9 March 2024. 9 March 2024.
  20. Web site: Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 – Fastest Laps. Formula 1. 9 March 2024. 9 March 2024.
  21. Web site: Saudi Arabia 2024. StatsF1.com. 9 March 2024.
  22. Web site: Saudi Arabia 2024 – Championship. Stats F1. 9 March 2024. 9 March 2024.