The Ferstappen fox, Herr Leclerc, the Mexican and the problems of youth

Everything went well – if not for everyone… We had games for the win and for the lower places, but also a game without serious mistakes – accidents. Mick Schumacher’s ugly exit on Saturday has us concerned, is the truth about safety at the fastest street circuit and second-fastest race in the championship after Monza.

But let’s look at the TOP 5 conclusions of the Jeddah Grand Prix, the second F1 race for 2022.

1. The Dutch fox kept it to the end

We knew Red Bull was better prepared for the critical tire industry than Ferrari. The Austrian team in the stages had collected data with the middle eraser they would use in the race, unlike the Italians who didn’t catch up as the team drivers had minor accidents and their cars needed repairs.

So it seems that Max Ferstappen kept a high pace in the match so that he stays close to Charles Leclerc but without pushing him, waiting to launch his attack at the end. This was also the case in the last 9 laps after the virtual safety car.

The strategy of Max and his team paid off, although we have to note with an asterisk that in the last 2 laps there were yellow flags in the first sector of the track, which did not favor Monegasco. Anyway, we had a very nice fight!

2. Gentleman Leclerc is an example to follow

Very nice but also clean Battle! Rest assured it wouldn’t be if the final lap was between Ferstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Here we have to pay tribute to Leclerc, who fought honestly and “seduced” the otherwise warm-blooded Dutchman with the same driving logic.

The Scuderia driver really deserved the title of gentleman, as he congratulated Ferstappen on his victory over the radio immediately after crossing the finish line! And he continued his testimony in front of the podium saying that despite the disappointment he enjoyed a very strong and clean race. Leclerc teaches his teammates ethics – and more!

3. Ferrari, Red Bull and others

We knew that from Bahrain, but now it’s absolutely certain. Ferrari and Red Bull are on their own level and no other team on the grid seems able to match them at the moment.

The good thing about this sport is that the two top teams are very close, so this year’s championship should be exciting.

4. The Mexican would have won without the Italian bluff

Let me insist on what I thought before the game: that Sergio Perez could have won. The Red Bull Mexican won his first pole position in F1 at Jeddah and was comfortably in first place for the first part of the race without being particularly stressed by Leclerc, who was trailing behind.

However, he had the worst bad luck of the race because as soon as he changed the tires the safety car came out. It was basically Ferrari who bluffed Red Bull – and the engineers of the Austrian team “bite”! The Scuderia brought the engineers into the pit lane and hinted that it was imminent pit stop by Leclerc for the undercut. RBR’s immediate response was to call in Perez, but Ferrari soon withdrew their mechanics, leaving the Mexican to pit alone.

Given the speed of his car on the straights and the maturity Perez has shown lately, he could claim a second win of his career in Saudi Arabia.

5. youth problems

Just a second race with the brand new cars and we see that the mechanical issues are very different each time. At the previous Grand Prix, it was the two Red Bulls of Gasley and Alpha Tauri who retired through injury.

Yuki Tsunoda didn’t even start as Alpha Tauri failed to solve the problem while Ricciardo’s McLaren, Alonso’s Alpine and Botas’ Alfa Romeo lost heart on the same lap! One thing is certain: reliability will also play an important role in the hunt for victory in the next races.