Red Bull dominance whilst surprise podium sitter expected…

Predictions for the 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix – By Joe Murphy

Round 2 rolls around as the teams and drivers alike head to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Who will thrive in the heat and who will become undone. Let’s dive in and have a speculation.

Max wins

It’s almost looking like a formality at this point. Max Verstappen is the quickest man in the quickest car and it would take something special or unfortunate on his part for this to change. I don’t see that happening here. In fact, Pole, Fastest Lap and Race Win honours could all head heading to the Dutchman in another strong weekend for Red Bull.

Checo settles for second

Whilst we are talking about Red Bull, you can expect another 1-2 with the Mexican doing his best for the team who are attempting to retain the constructors championship title. Checo has to hope that Max slips up if he is to emerge as a championship contender. For now, all he can do is finish as close to his teammate as possible.

Lance or George on the podium

Whilst you may be tempted to give Fernando Alonso an automatic podium, I’d are on the side of caution with that one. Fernando is prone to misfortune and the concistency of George could pull him into contention. If the Mercedes performs worse than expected then Lance Stroll will be Alonso’s nearest challenger. After an excellent drive from the Canadian a fortnight ago (all bike crashes considered), he will be confident that this season can bring multiple podiums and opportunities.

Ferrari Falter

One race in and both drivers are taking power unit penalties. It’s not a good omen for the Italian outfit. Whilst you’d expect both drivers to recover and score points, ultimately any chance of a podium now seems incredibly unlikely. A top eight finish for the pair is the most likely outcome.

More Misery for McLaren

Those Friday sessions were not good reading for the orange team. McLaren have struggled immensely in terms of pace so far this year. With all others such as Williams and Haas seemingly improving, there doesn’t seem to be many slower than Piastri and Norris at the moment. For a team that was battling for podiums mot that long ago, that is a worry.