Sergio Perez dominated the field around the Jeddah Street Circuit to take the fifth victory of his Formula One career at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Mexican driver - who also topped qualifying on Saturday - lost first place off of the line to Fernando Alonso but fought back brilliantly to retake P1 soon after.
His teammate Verstappen stormed through the field to finish in P2 despite starting the race in P15 due to issues in qualifying, whilst Aston Martin's Alonso rounded out the podium places in P3. The Aston Martin driver was originally demoted down to P4 after the race after gaining an additional 10-second penalty as his team failed to serve an earlier five-second penalty correctly in the pit lane, though that decision was later reversed by the FIA giving the Spaniard a landmark 100th career podium.
Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton came home in P4 and P5 but it was yet another disappointing day for Ferrari as Sainz and Leclerc could only finish in P6 and P7 respectively. Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen also took valuable points.
F1 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix results
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 19 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 15 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 12 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 10 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 8 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 6 |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 4 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 2 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | |
| 13 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | |
| 14 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTuari | |
| 15 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | |
| 17 | Lando Norris | McLaren | |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | |
| DNF | Alex Albon | Williams | |
| DNF | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
Perez takes sweet victory in Saudi Arabia
Step back in time by a year and Perez was in delirium after taking the first pole position of his F1 career in Jeddah. On that occasion, the subsequent race didn't exactly go to plan as a safety car ruined his chance to earn top spot.
How sweet today must have felt for 'Checo' then as, after taking top spot in qualifying yet again, this time around he dominated the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to record his fifth win in the sport.
It wasn't the ideal start as Alonso beat him into the first corner for P1 but the Red Bull man kept his cool to regain the lead before then driving down the road to victory.
Why was Max Verstappen F1 Driver Of The Day?
It was all doom and gloom for Verstappen on Saturday as his Red Bull uffered a drive-shaft issue that forced the Dutchman to retire from qualifying.
That left the two-time champion in P15 on the grid as a result but he put together another brilliant drive to maintain top spot in the drivers' championship.
Coupled with his P2 finish, he also managed to steal the fastest lap of the race right at the death, which leaves him a single point ahead of Perez overall.
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 live updates, highlights: As it happened
CHEQUERED FLAG: Perez wins the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!!! The Mexican driver puts in a perfect display to basically lead this race from start to finish and claim top points in Jeddah.
Teammate Verstappen takes P2 and Alonso rounds out of the podium places for Aston Martin, the 100th top three finish of his illustrious career.
Lap 48: Not to jinx everyone in the top order but this race is just about done. The top ten now all have healthy leads on the car directly behind them as Perez looks set to cruise home in style here.
Lap 46: It's a McLaren battle at the back as Piastri gets past Norris though the Brit then responds to get the position back.
Magnussen jumps Tsunoda into P10. That could be a precious point for Haas this weekend.
Lap 44: Perez responds out front to grab back the fastest lap of the race. That would be enough to currently put him into P1 in the World Drivers' Championship standings after two races.
Lap 43: In the battle for P3, Alonso still holds a five-second gap to Russell and is closing in on his 100th podium finish in Formula One.
If he see's this out, he'll become just the sixth driver in history to achieve that feat.
Lap 40: As the laps continue to come and go, Perez still maintains a a healthy lead to Verstappen but now the Mexican driver is also complaining of potential troubles.
Further down the order, Magnussen tries another move on Tsunoda but can't get past the AlphaTauri man.
Lap 38: Verstappen is now over team radio complaining about a 'high pitched' noise in his car and drops off the pace of his teammate.
Lap 37: And now Verstappen makes a move. He steals the fastest lap of the race from Perez and takes four tenths out of his teammates lap time.
Lap 35: This is just complete domination from Red Bull in Jeddah as expected. Perez still leads Verstappen by around five seconds out in front but then it's an 11 second gap to Alonso in P3 which is massive with 15 laps still to go.
Lap 34: Hamilton is now beginning to fall further back time-wise against his teammate as Russell responds to that potential decision to swap the Mercedes order. The German team currently look to have the better of rivals Ferrari as well with the order from P4 to P7 reading Russell, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc.
Lap 32: There's some great battling going on for P12 as Williams rookie Sargeant puts the pressure on Hulkenburg. Zhou Guanyu is also sticking with the pair to try and pick up the pieces.
Lap 30: Out in front Perez still holds a five-second gap to teammate Verstappen but the Dutchman is just beginning to take some time away from him.
Lap 28: An intriguing situation developing between the two Mercedes cars as Russell begins to hold up a much quicker Hamilton. That said, he hasn't been told to let him by just yet as the pair lose time to Alonso.
Lap 27: It's a disaster for Williams! Albon has brake issues down the order and now finds himself in last place. He'll be forced to retire from this race you'd imagine.
Lap 24: And now it's P2 for Verstappen. Again, the Dutch driver uses the DRS down the start/finish straight and he easily passes Alonso.
Just behind, Hamilton is absolutely flying on the medium tyres with everyone else on the hards. Russell and Alonso currently stand in his way for a likely podium finish.
Lap 23: Here's come Verstappen! The Dutchman opens up the DRS and gently breezes past Russell down the back straight for P3. The difference in speed there between the Red Bull and the Mercedes cars was frightening.
Lap 22: On his newer set of medium tyres, Hamilton gets past Sainz at corner one. It's a great move from the Brit who pressurises Sainz to go deep then produces the switch back move to perfection.
Out front, Perez is already three seconds ahead.
Lap 21: We're back underway here in Jeddah! The order stays the same all the way down the grid at present as Perez begins to instantly push away from Alonso.
Lap 20: All the front runners dive into the pits as a result and it's good news for Alonso. He manages to serve his five-second penalty and still maintain P2 on the track.
Remember that all the cars will now bunch up behind that safety car and with all on different tyres, this restart could be fun. The order is: Perez, Alonso, Russell, Verstappen, Sainz, Hamilton and Leclerc.
Lap 18: Stroll is out!!! His engineer comes over the radio and tells him to stop out on track. That could explain how both Ferrari's managed to jump the Canadian in the pits.
The safety car is out.
Lap 17: Sainz pits and comes out ahead of Stroll! The undercut did not work well for Aston Martin there at all.
Verstappen is set to overtake Leclerc but Ferrari pull their man in for his first change. Remarkably, he's also jumped Stroll in the process.
Lap 15: Not to be outdone by Leclerc, Verstappen now jumps Ocon too.
Stroll in the Aston Martin pits from P4. That's quite an early move from the British team to put the Canadian onto the hard tyres which don't look that competitive here.
Lap 14: In response to that Verstappen overtake, Leclerc now gets past Ocon and snatches P6 away from the French driver.
Perez extends his lead to nearly four seconds on Alonso.
Lap 13: Just like Leclerc a few laps prior, Verstappen gets past Hamilton down the start/finish straight.
The back-to-back world champion is starting to fly now!
Lap 12: To recap then, Perez leads this race by two seconds from Alonso. After the Spaniard comes Russell, Stroll and Sainz.
Leclerc and Verstappen are already up to P7 and P9 respectively with Hamilton sandwiched between the pair.
Lap 10: Leclerc opens up his DRS and breezes past Hamilton on the start/finish straight. The Brit had picked up a black and white flag on the prior lap for weaving on the straights as he looked to break the tow to the Ferrari driver.
Verstappen jumps Gasly for P9. Up next, Hamilton..
Lap 9: Perez puts in the fastest lap of the race so far as he looks to pull away from Alonso out in front. Teammate Verstappen passes Zhou Guanyu further back for P10.
Lap 8: Hamilton is struggling here as he's the only driver out there on the hard tyres. Leclerc is pressuring him from behind now as the Ferrari man makes his way past Gasly and up into P8.
Lap 6: Verstappen picks up a few more places and he's now up to P11. He's flying out there, just like his teammate Perez who now nearly holds a second gap to Alonso in the race lead.
Lap 3: Perez now leads the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!!! DRS is enabled and the Mexican driver dives down the inside at the first corner to regain the lead.
It's a double disaster for McLaren as Norris is also forced to come into the pits and change his front wing due to damage.
Lap 2: It's a five-second penalty for Alonso! He'll have to serve that when he comes into the pits later on.
Elsewhere his teammate jumps Sainz into P4 and Piastri is forced to pit due to front wing damage. Leclerc is up into P9 with Verstappen in P13.
LIGHTS OUT: We're underway here in Jeddah and Alonso leads the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!!! It's the perfect start from the veteran who gets off the line quickly and beats Perez to the opening corner.
He has been noted for an incorrect starting position however!
2 minutes to lights out: We're off for the formation lap ahead of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Plenty of different tyre selections from the drivers here which should make this race even more interesting.
15 minutes to lights out: The drivers are starting to head to the front of the grid for the national anthem. Not long left now until we go racing around this exciting Jeddah Street Circuit!
30 minutes to lights out: As the pit lane opens, we see the cars begin to make their way to the starting grid.
45 minutes to lights out: Who else can challenge for the win today then? Well, look no further than Fernando Alonso who starts alongside Perez on the front row.
Expect the veteran Spaniard to make a strong start in his Aston Martin car as he looks for a first F1 win since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix!
According to this poll on Formula One's official twitter account, he's the favourite amongst the fans.
1 hour to lights out: Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen will be having very different ideas today though!
The Dutchman may be starting this race from P15 but if he can avoid any sort of trouble in the early exchanges, he could very much still be near the front of the pack come the end of this race.
Remember; Verstappen won last year's Belgian Grand Prix despite starting in P14.
1 hour and 15 minutes to lights out: It perhaps isn't the Red Bull car that we all expected to see on pole today but Sergio Perez will be absolutely desperate to take the chequered flag.
He's only ever won four races throughout his career and he'll be hoping for better today than last year's visit to Saudi Arabia. That's because last season he took pole here but ended up finishing the subsequent race in P4..
1 hour and 30 mins to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — the second race of the new F1 season.
With its tight corners and lightning-quick straights, expect plenty of drama today as F1 returns to the Jeddah Street Circuit.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 starting grid
| Position | Driver |
| 1 | Sergio Perez |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso |
| 3 | George Russell |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz |
| 5 | Lance Stroll |
| 6 | Esteban Ocon |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 11 | Zhou Guanyu |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc* |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas |
| 15 | Max Verstappen |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 17 | Alex Albon |
| 18 | Nyck de Vries |
| 19 | Lando Norris |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant |
*denotes grid-place penalty.
What time does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday, March 19
- Start time: 5 p.m. GMT / 1 p.m ET / 4 a.m AEST (Mar 20) / 8 p.m. local time
Sunday's 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time. Lights out will take place just after 3 p.m. GMT
Below is the complete schedule for the weekend's F1 events at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
| Date | Event | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Mar 17 | Practice 1 | 13:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m | 12:30 a.m (Mar 18) |
| Friday, Mar 17 | Practice 2 | 5 p.m. | 1 p.m | 4 a.m (Mar 18) |
| Saturday, Mar 18 | Practice 3 | 13:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m | 12:30 a.m (Mar 19) |
| Saturday, Mar 18 | Qualifying | 5 p.m. | 1 p.m | 4 a.m (Mar 19) |
| Sunday, Mar 19 | Race | 5 p.m. | 1 p.m | 4 a.m (Mar 20) |
What TV channel is the F1 on?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | Kayo |
How to watch Formula 1 in the US
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you're an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.
How to watch Formula 1 in India
- TV channel: N/A
- Live stream: F1 TV Pro
No TV broadcast network is currently set to host the action throughout this year in India, though Formula 1 has launched F1 TV Pro in the country for the first time so fans can live stream the action.