In the middle of the explosive house row at Red Bull, world champion Max Verstappen also demonstrated the competition in Saudi Arabia and extended his winning streak in Formula 1.
The 26-year-old took his ninth victory in a row across all seasons in Jeddah at the second World Championship round of the year. Teammate Sergio Pérez completed the double success despite a time penalty like the one in Bahrain. Charles Leclerc came third in a Ferrari.
Nico Hülkenberg secured another championship point with a strong drive from 15th on the grid to 10th in the defeated Haas. The 36-year-old from Emmerich last made it into the points in a Grand Prix almost a year ago in Australia.
Sporting events are almost irrelevant
After crossing the finish line in the light of fireworks, Verstappen enthused: “It was another fantastic weekend for us. I felt really good in the car.” However, these statements were in stark contrast to what had previously happened around him and his team.
As was the case at the start the previous week, the sporting events in Jeddah became almost a minor matter in view of the escalated power struggle at Red Bull. In the scandal surrounding team boss Christian Horner, the racing team disintegrated into its factions in front of the eyes of the audience. The race director was recently cleared of allegations of inappropriate behavior towards an employee in an internal investigation, but is still under pressure.
One of his opponents in the team, the long-time Red Bull advisor and close Verstappen confidant Helmut Marko, had to fend off speculation in Jeddah about his replacement. Immediately after taking pole position, Verstappen energetically took the side of the Austrian, who had already supported him as a young driver. “Without him in the team, I think there will be a problem, even for myself,” said the triple champion.
The fairly clear threat apparently had an effect. On race day, Marko announced on Sky after a clarifying conversation with Red Bull managing director Oliver Mintzlaff: “I’ll continue, yes.” The 80-year-old added that calm must return to the team.
Stroll rushes into the barrier
But it doesn’t necessarily look like that. Mintzlaff is scheduled to meet with the Thai majority owners of Red Bull in Dubai on Sunday. The Thais are supporting team boss Horner in the affair and want to keep him in office. Verstappen’s father Jos reiterated his call for his resignation via the Daily Mail: “I have already said that there will be problems if he stays.”
The cracks at Red Bull between the struggling ownership parties, Horner, the Verstappens and Marko seem to be difficult to mend. And this despite the fact that the racing team has been dominating Formula 1 for two years and Verstappen is still the overwhelming favorite for the title in the best car this year.
The Dutchman had already won in Bahrain the previous week by a huge margin. On the ultra-fast street circuit in Saudi Arabia, he secured the best starting position for the first time and gave second-placed Leclerc no chance. The defending champions quickly gained a cushion. Behind him, teammate Pérez grabbed second place from Leclerc early on.
The safety car briefly helped with the tension. The Canadian Lance Stroll crashed into the barriers in his Aston Martin and the race was neutralized for the clean-up work. Unlike the leaders, McLaren driver Lando Norris initially decided not to change tires and was able to collect a few kilometers in the lead. Verstappen soon restored normal order and was in the lead again on lap 13.
Hülkenberg makes it into the points
Meanwhile, stable rival Pérez drove with a mortgage for the rest of the Grand Prix. Driving off too riskily after the pit stop earned him a five-second penalty and briefly fueled the hopes of his pursuer Leclerc in second place.
The mood at Ferrari was also boosted by the debut of Oliver Bearman, who was only 18 years old. The Brit, who usually competes in the Formula 2 junior series, replaced Carlos Sainz this time. The Spaniard had to undergo surgery on Friday because of an inflamed appendix. Bearman did some advertising on his own behalf and ended up scoring six World Championship points in seventh place.
This time Hülkenberg also made it into the points. The veteran benefited from the help of his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who held off his pursuers for several laps and thus gave Hülkenberg the decisive cushion for the pit stop.
High-flyer Verstappen didn’t need such tactical games. The world champion circled safely and crossed the finish line again with a big lead.
