Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix 2023 Results: Sergio Perez Wins, Max Verstappen 2nd

Sergio Perez earned his first win of the 2023 Formula One season with a dominant performance at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen climbed into second place after starting Sunday in 15th position, staying in first place in the championship standings thanks to his fastest lap.

Fernando Alonso was at the center of musical chairs around the final podium spot after in third place, but he was initially replaced by George Russell after a penalty:

However, Aston Martin requested a review of the penalty, which resulted in it being overturned, returning Alonso to the podium:

It continues an impressive start to the year for Red Bull Racing, which finished one-two in the first race of the year two weeks ago in Bahrain.

After Verstappen cruised to a championship last year, the team is off to another strong start through two races in 2023.

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Final Results

1. Sergio Perez

2. Max Verstappen

3. Fernando Alonso

4. George Russell

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Carlos Sainz

7. Charles Leclerc

8. Esteban Ocan

9. Pierre Gasly

10. Kevin Magnussen

Full results available at Formula1.com.

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Verstappen has been the fastest driver for the past two years, but he had an uphill battle this week after an issue during qualifying.

The car's driveshaft broke in the second round of qualifying and ended up in 15th, while teammate Perez grabbed the top spot just ahead of Charles Leclerc.

It didn't take long for Verstappen to get back into contention, gaining 11 positions over the first 20 laps of the race:

He reached fourth place in time for a restart when the safety car came out after Lance Stroll was forced to stop. A few laps later, he was already in second place just behind Perez.

Perez was still going to be tough to catch, increasing the gap to first to more than 20 seconds when the safety car was called.

It became a two-man race over the second half of the Grand Prix, with everyone else battling for third place.

Perez held about a five-second lead for much of the day, although Verstappen ignored team orders as he tried to close the gap:

It still wasn't enough, as Perez took care of business on his way to an easy victory.

Alonso, who earned a five-second penalty early in the race, remained in third position for much of the day and had little trouble holding off Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

He was seemingly set for his 100th career podium until a post-race investigation changed the outcome.

The drivers now have two weeks to prepare for the Australian Grand Prix, which is set for April 2.