Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 LIVE! F1 race result and latest news

Max Verstappen wins second race of the year
Marc Mayo5 May 2024

Max Verstappen stayed firmly on course for another season of dominance in Formula One on Saturday by winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Even after just two races, and despite turmoil at Red Bull, Verstappen seems in near-total control on the track as he aims for a fourth consecutive title this year. The Dutch driver won easily ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was third.

Verstappen started on pole and held off Leclerc at the first corner, as he did last week at the season-opener in Bahrain which he won, before quickly building his lead.

The only interruption came when Lance Stroll's crash brought out the safety car. Verstappen came into the pits for a tire change and after the restart easily passed Lando Norris — who hadn't stopped — to retake the lead.

Perez had a five-second penalty because Red Bull released him from a pit stop into the path of another car, but that didn't matter since he finished far ahead of Leclerc.

Eighteen-year-old British driver Oliver Bearman was seventh for Ferrari in his first F1 race, one day after being called up as an emergency replacement for Carlos Sainz., who needed an operation to treat appendicitis.

Live updates

9 March 2024

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Lap 2/50

Pierre Gasly will retire.

And there could be a problem for Lando Norris, I thought he jumped the start and George Russell is complaining over team radio that he did too.

DRS is on as we cross the start line, Oliver Bearman all over Yuki Tsunoda for 10th place.

Oscar Piastri has got Fernando Alonso to go fourth.

9 March 2024

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | LIGHTS OUT!

Pierre Gasly complains of a gearbox issue over team radio but it looks like he’s lined up nonetheless.

Five red lights... and away they go!

Max Verstappen leads off with Sergio Perez into second - but Charles Leclerc fights back to win the place!

9 March 2024

Tyre choices

Ferrari send Oliver Bearman out on new soft tyres to start the race.

That will give him a chance to make some early moves before darting into the pits before the others, and then coming out in cleaner air.

Valtteri Bottas, down near the back, is also on softs with everyone else on mediums to start off.

9 March 2024

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Formation lap

All 20 cars are lined up and it’s time for them to tootle round as the grid clears, before we get underway.

9 March 2024

Time to go racing

Max Verstappen is on pole position in Jeddah, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez.

The Dutchman led a Red Bull 1-2 in Bahrain with relative ease.

Can anyone stop him in Saudi?

9 March 2024

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Countdown to lights out

This is your ten-minute warning!

AUTO-PRIX-F1-KSA
AFP via Getty Images
9 March 2024

Get to know Jeddah Corniche Circuit

We are set for 50 laps around the 6.174km circuit, which is dubbed the quickest in the world - and means the race could be over in about 75/80 minutes if there are no interruptions.

There are three DRS zones to help with overtaking.

And, if you hadn’t noticed, it’s a night race with the local start time 8pm.

Time for the national anthem...

9 March 2024

Down on the grid

Jose Mourinho is out on the grid and he reveals he is a big F1 fan but doesn’t want to pick a team or driver as his favourite.

He “hopes” to be back in football management soon, he tells Sky F1, after being sacked by Roma.

9 March 2024

Saudi GP strategy

A one-stopper is the order of the day.

The question is whether drivers start of the soft or medium tyre, before a likely jump to the hard.

A medium-soft combination appears unlikely to work but don’t rule it out...

9 March 2024

Does Oliver Bearman have an Italian accent?

Since moving to Italy to join Ferrari, the 18-year-old has apparently been teased for picking up an Italian twang to his accent.

You can hear it a teeny bit, but for me he sounds much more like Alex Albon. They did grow up about 45 minutes away from each other in the south east to be fair - Albon in Ipswich and Bearman in Chelmsford.