17
19:31
Box radio Nicholas Latifi
16
19:30
safety car
The safety car comes out after Nicholas Latifi lands in the wall. First there is the virtual safety car, and a little later the real car comes onto the track.
16
19:28
Pit stop by Sergio Pérez
“Pit stop to overtake,” Leclerc is told via Funkl, whereupon Pérez replies with a pit stop. Leclerc, on the other hand, continues. Was that a maneuver by Ferrari to force Red Bull to pit?
15
19:26
Some already at the stop
Some drivers were now at their stop. Lance Stroll and Alex Albon are now on the hardest tire compound.
14
19:25
Valtteri Bottas overtakes
“Hold the position,” says Ocon over the team radio. But that doesn’t work and with the help of DRS, Valtteri Bottas misses the first of the two Alpines.
13
19:24
Punishment for Guanyu Zhou
Guanyu Zhou was given a five-second time penalty for going off the track and gaining an advantage in his battle with Albon.
11
19:23
Lewis Hamilton overtakes
Hamilton passes Norris in the final corner and settles into 11th place. Up ahead, Alonso and Ocon continue to fight for position.
11
19:20
Hamilton now 12th
Lewis Hamilton is slowly working his way up the field at the back. The Mercedes driver has now moved up to twelfth place.
10
19:19
Magnussen joins the combat group
Kevin Magnussen has meanwhile joined the fighting group and is close behind Valtteri Bottas. Daniel Ricciardo was already in the pits and is now in last position.
9
19:19
Pit radio Max Verstappen
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen reports an anomaly on Leclerc’s Ferrari. “The lights at the rear of Leclerc don’t work,” Verstappen said over the radio. According to the regulations, the lights should actually work. Of course, what Verstappen wants out of it.
9
19:17
Fernando Alonso overtakes
It goes back and forth with the Alpine riders. Ocon lets Alonso pass again. But in the team duel, the Frenchman hasn’t backed down yet. Again and again he sets his attack.
8th
19:15
Esteban Ocon overtaking
With the two Alpines, the fight goes into the next round. The Frenchman gets past but goes straight into Turn 1 and would theoretically have to give the place back to his teammate. All of this helps Bottas, who is now directly involved.
7
19:14
Fernando Alonso overtakes
Over several kilometers, the battle between the teammates is kicked out hard. But then Fernando grabs Alonso and takes sixth place from his teammate in turn 1.
6
19:13
Hulkenberg has lost places
After a good start, Nico Hülkenberg has now lost positions again. He is in 17th place. Only Latifi was worse.
6
19:12
Pérez increases the lead
Sergio Pérez has been able to extend his lead at the top. He is now 2.6 seconds ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen is another 1.4 seconds behind in third place.
5
19:10
Close thing between teammates
Tight scene between Alonso and Ocon on the home stretch. Fernando Alonso shoots from behind, Ocon closes the door late. There almost was a crash between the two Alpine teammates.
4
19:09
Pit radio Lewis Hamilton
“I have no grip on these tires,” Lewis Hamilton radioed to his pits. The Brit is still stuck behind Daniel Ricciardo in the McLaren.
3
19:09
George Russell overtaking
George Russell gains a position and takes over fifth place from Esteban Ocon. Teammate Lewis Hamilton is in 14th place.
2
19:06
Lando Norris overtakes
Lando Norris made up one position and took over tenth place ahead of Pierre Gasly in the AlphaTauri. Nico Hulkenberg is currently 16.
1
19:05
Pérez pulls away
Sergio Pérez didn’t miss a beat on the first lap and the Mexican was able to pull away from his closest pursuer by more than a second. But Leclerc was also able to get some air in the direction of Verstappen after a heated first few meters.
1
19:04
Start race
The lights are off, the race is on! Sergio Pérez makes a good start and easily keeps the Ferrari behind him. Behind it is narrower. Verstappen puts pressure on Sainz and eventually passes.
19:02
It’s about to start
The cars return to the starting grid. Now it won’t be long until the start!
19:00
Formation lap has started
The formation lap has begun and for the first time in his career, Sergio Pérez is leading the field before the start. Almost everyone in the field starts the race on a fresh medium. Magnussen, Hamilton and Hulkenberg are on used hards.
18:54
The conditions
The track in Jeddah is now floodlit and the sun has completely set. The track temperature is 28 degrees just before the start, the air temperature is 25 degrees.
18:47
The distance
The Jeddah Street Circuit is one of the fastest street circuits on the calendar. 6.174 kilometers with fast corner combinations and a total of 27 corners await the drivers. The track is narrow and everyone is actually assuming that the safety car will come out at least once.
18:43
Not much up for grabs for Aston Martin
There wasn’t much up for grabs for Aston Martin. Lance Stroll starts the race by relegating Daniel Ricciardo from twelfth place to 14th from 13th place. Nico Hulkenberg, who was not yet familiar with the track, starts from 17th place. Not exactly the results that give hope for a better season than 2021. Williams also seems to be struggling to catch up.
18:37
Hamilton far behind
Mercedes had to accept a powerful setback. Lewis Hamilton found it difficult to get a good time out of the car and unexpectedly retired in Q1 yesterday’s qualifying. A situation that the Briton has not experienced since Brazil 2017. Hamilton will start from 15th place due to the absence of Schumacher. George Russell was at least able to steer his Mercedes into sixth place on the grid.
18:34
Also Ferrari with technical difficulties
Ferrari also had technical difficulties before the start of the race. The hustle and bustle in the pits stopped for Carlos Sainz. However, the Spaniard was able to start on time. From the Ferrari side it is said that there was a problem with the wiring harness.
18:28
It’s over for Tsunoda
After Mick Schumacher, a second driver is now doomed to watch today. Yuki Tsunoda rolls into the run-off area and reports engine problems over the radio. You try everything out of the box, but in the end the information to the Japanese is: “Yuki, this is the end.”
18:25
Schumacher is missing after a violent crash
Mick Schumacher showed a good qualifying, but then a small mistake caused anxious minutes at the track. The German had touched a notch and then crashed into the wall at high speed. Schumacher was then taken in an ambulance to the medical center at the track and later to a nearby clinic for further examinations. Fortunately, all examinations remained without findings. Schumacher is there, but he will not start today. The German’s car was withdrawn on Saturday. On the one hand, this would have been destroyed and Schumacher would therefore have had to start from the pits. On the other hand, you wouldn’t know how the driver would feel the day after the crash.
18:18
Red Bull vs Ferrari
The big duel is also in the Saudi Arabia race Red Bull against Ferrari. Somewhat surprisingly, Sergio Pérez secured pole on his 215th Formula 1 start. Lurking next to the Mexican is Charles Leclerc in the first Ferrari. The second row is made up of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen, who should not be entirely happy with his qualifying given fourth place.
Welcome!
The second race is on the agenda for the 2022 Formula 1 season. Will the impressions from Bahrain be confirmed or can other teams excel in Saudi Arabia? The race starts at 7:00 p.m.