After a successful yet tad tepid maiden race in the 2024 season, the world’s most illustrious and celebrated travelling circus heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
After a one-two finish in Bahrain, Red Bull are the team to beat heading into Jeddah, and Verstappen remains the top driver in the paddock. But that doesn’t mean that the upcoming Grand Prix won’t pose any thrills or excitement, as other teams in the paddock are already facing adversities and challenges this early in the season.
Arguably the biggest story line coming into the season is that Ferrari decided to stick with Charles Leclerc and part ways with Carlos Sainz after the 2024 season, but that decision didn’t look sound in the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend.
Carlos Sainz smoked his teammate Leclerc and was able to appear on the podium in the first race of his last season with Ferrari. To be fair, Leclerc did struggle with his brake balance, which caused him to lose time at every turn of the race.
With that being said, Leclerc will have to prove in Saudi Arabia that Ferrari’s choice to keep him was the right decision and that he is in fact the faster driver between him and current teammate Carlos Sainz.
Can the Silver Arrows bounce back?
Mercedes had a Sunday to forget in Bahrain. With all the hype and news surrounding the Silver Arrows in the off-season, Toto Wolff’s garage showed somewhat of an underwhelming performance last weekend.
The Silver Arrows are reasonably expected to rival Ferrari as the second-best team on the grid, but they failed to make any sizeable impact in Bahrain.
George Russell finished as the lead Mercedes in fifth place, while compatriot and future Ferrari driver, Sir Lewis Hamilton, finished in seventh place.
“Our race in Bahrain was best described as underwhelming,” Wolff stated. And when asked about the true potential of the W15, Wolff exclaimed, “We’ve got an opportunity to take a step forward immediately. Jeddah is a street track with a lot of high-speed content.”
For now, Mercedes fans can only hope and pray that the W15 will perform better on a street circuit so the Silver Arrows can have better Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 results.
Expect more of the same from Alpine
It’s not a surprise that Alpine performed poorly in the Bahrain Grand Prix, given that their car is far from polished. Alpine’s A524 is still a work in progress, weighing 20 pounds heavier than its counterparts on the grid, and is evidently aerodynamically inefficient.
In Bahrain, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished 17th and 18th, respectively. They were only able to get the better of Valtteri Bottas, who had a wheel nut issue, and Williams’ Logan Sargeant, who suffered from a steering wheel glitch.
Alpine’s struggles are hard to ignore, as a number of their key players have departed from the team amidst their fumbling efforts this season. Former team principal Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane, chief technical officer Pat Fry, and CEO Laurent Rossi all recently departed from Alpine.
Relieving the main catalyst of your team’s success last season is always a red flag and a cause for concern, but the proud French outfit remains positive and is confident that they will finish the season on a strong note. But it’s hard not to expect more of the same from Alpine in the Saudi Arabian GP.
History
Since its debut in 2021, the Saudi Grand Prix has had three different winners, but Red Bull Racing have claimed the gold in two of those three years.
Merc’s Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural race in Jeddah back in 2021. Hamilton shared the podium with his then teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who finished third, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was sandwiched by Silver Arrows as he finished in second.
In 2022, no Silver Arrows were present on the podium, instead, they were replaced by two Scarlet Ferraris. Verstappen won this one, followed by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, respectively.
Last year, it was another Red Bull victory, but this time, it was Sergio Perez who claimed glory. Checo cruised to the checkered flag with ease, as he finished five seconds faster than his teammate Verstappen, who finished second, while Savvy veteran Fernando Alonso finished third in his Aston Martin.
This year, Red Bull could extend their winning streak in Jeddah, and either Verstappen or Perez can be the first to win more than one race in the barren oasis of Saudi Arabia.
What are the odds?
SBOTOP fans shouldn’t be surprised if Red Bull claim back-to-back wins to start the season. In the qualifying session, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 betting odds favourite is Max Verstappen at 1.88, while a price of 1.94 is slapped on any other driver.
As for the actual race, the Dutchman is still the heavy favourite to claim the highest step on the podium with a price of 1.25, while teammate Sergio Perez is the far second at 9.00. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is next in line with a price of 13.00.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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