Max Verstappen may give F1 fans an exciting race at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Associated PressMax Verstappen’s dominance of Formula 1 has left little for fans to be excited about ahead of a race when it comes to who might win – but that could all be about to change at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
Verstappen picked up where he left off last year during the season’s opener in Bahrain last weekend. The Dutchman cruised home more than 22 seconds clear of Sergio Perez in second.
The RB19 in the hands of the 26-year-old proved to be a rocketship and the RB20 appears to have the same jet fuel inside of it.
Perez struggled to keep pace with his teammate during 2023 season, ultimately finishing with less than half of Verstappen’s points tally (285 vs 575).
The Mexican faced increased scrutiny over his future at the team, especially with the return of Daniel Ricciardo to the sport in their sister team, RB.
Yet Perez has consistently proved his worth in one category, the streets.
Despite only finishing last year with two wins to his name, they both came at street circuits – Jeddah and Baku. Furthermore, the only other circuit that Verstappen failed to claim victory in 2023 was Singapore – also a street circuit.
And as F1 gets ready to return to Jeddah this weekend, Perez may well be looking to flex his muscles as King of the Streets come lights out.
Admittedly, last year Verstappen suffered an issue in qualifying that saw him line up in P15 for lights out – but do not let that take away from Perez’s skills around the fast paced streets of Saudi.
Why Max Verstappen may not win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
You would be a foolish person to bet against the Red Bull star at the moment, but in his own words, Verstappen admitted that street circuits were not his friend last season.
“Mainly I think just street circuits and low-speed, kerbing,” he told Autosport when asked what the team need to improve on. “These kind of things, I think we are not the best at the moment.”
Perez meanwhile is adamant that his driving ability is the key factor as to why he often finds success on a street layout.
“The reason I’m strong on these circuits is because I am able to play with the car much more than I used to,” he said.
“I think in the street circuits you have to be very strong in the race, and very strong with the pressure.
“You have to be able to handle the pressure because you’re not able to make mistakes. If you do a small mistake, in a normal circuit, you can get away with it.
“But in the streets, you cannot get away with those mistakes. And I probably have more confidence than others come race day.”
Checo will be hoping to upset the odds and prevent Verstappen from claiming victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for two years running this weekend as F1 returns under the lights on Saturday.
