Jeddah (dpa) – Formula 1 is experiencing a difficult weekend in Saudi Arabia. First, a missile attack triggered debates about canceling the second race of the season this Sunday (7 p.m. / Sky). Then there were moments of fear in qualifying when Mick Schumacher suffered a serious crash.
The Haas driver will not start at the Grand Prix in Jeddah, even though he survived the accident relatively unscathed. Red Bull and Ferrari will probably be driving for victory again.
Debutant on pole position
For the first time in his career, Mexican Sergio Perez will start a Formula 1 race from the front. The Red Bull driver duped the competition with a magic lap in qualifying. “I could do 1000 laps and not beat that time,” admitted the happy Perez. Otherwise, the 32-year-old is usually overshadowed by world champion Max Verstappen. But this time he was only fourth. Things aren’t really going well with the champion yet. In the previous week in Bahrain, the Dutchman retired with a defect just before the end of the race, as did Perez. Red Bull now wants to make amends in Jeddah.
Ferrari lurks
A week after the double success in the opening race, world championship leader Charles Leclerc and colleague Carlos Sainz can hope for more fat loot. The Monegasque Leclerc had even set himself up for pole position after being the fastest in all training sessions in Jeddah. But even from second place everything is possible for the 24-year-old. Sainz starts third – the Scuderia is back in the World Cup business after two years of crisis.
Mercedes in Not
Lewis Hamilton was at a loss. In 16th place, the record champion failed in the first qualifying round. “Undriveable” was his Mercedes, said the 37-year-old. Teammate George Russell finished sixth, but the Silver Arrows are no longer the favorites for the time being. “It is unacceptable where we are. It’s not an option for things to stay that way,” said team boss Toto Wolff. In search of solutions, Hamilton could even start from the pit lane on Sunday in order to be able to convert the car again beforehand.
The controversial host
The rocket attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on an oil facility of Formula 1 main sponsor Aramco near the track fueled discussions about the guest appearance in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is waging war in Yemen against the Houthis, who repeatedly attack targets in Saudi Arabia. Add to that the poor human rights record of the Saudis. “I’ll be happy when I’m back home,” said superstar Hamilton. The pilots were only persuaded to take off from Jeddah after a four-hour crisis meeting and additional safety guarantees.
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