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Saudi Arabia GP
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Saudi Arabia GP
Abu Dhabi GP
2021 Formula 1 Saudi Arabia GP
Dec 3, 2021 to Dec 5, 2021
| Jeddah Street Circuit, SA
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Formula 1 Saudi Arabia GP
F1 Saudi Arabia GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day
Minute-by-minute updates from Saudi Arabia's first ever F1 race
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02:17:03 pm
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Norris is within DRS range of Stroll's 10th place. Can the McLaren man get back into the points?
Stopwatch
02:16:41 pm
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Next time around Verstappen and Hamilton effectively match lap times, the Mercedes driver edges it by 0.08s to take the fastest lap time of 1m31.411s.
02:15:38 pm
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After his spin, Alonso's comeback mission begins with depriving Vettel's wounded Aston of 13th.
02:15:06 pm
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The ebb and flow of the VSC can help some drivers and hinder others depending on where they are on the track when they get the green. Sainz has now closed in on Giovinazzi - he's just 2.8 seconds adrift, compared to roughly around 10 seconds before the latest interruption.
02:14:19 pm
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Off we go again and Verstappen leads by 1.2s from Hamilton at the end of lap 33.
02:13:38 pm
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It was bound to happen eventually - the Raikkonen/Vettel clash that forced the 2007 champion to the pits for a new nose has been noted by the stewards.
Green flag
02:13:01 pm
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Back to green.
02:12:46 pm
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This is an odd one, Raikkonen is going slower than the rest under this VSC and is being caught by Verstappen who can't lap him under these conditions but that is letting Hamilton get closer to him. Never seen that before.
02:11:55 pm
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Since getting through on Leclerc, Sainz hasn't been able to make much of an impression into Giovinazzi's seventh place. The Alfa man looks set for a good haul of points today.
02:11:08 pm
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Obviously F1 race timeout rules prevent it from happening, but any further delays and this race will finish on Monday. It is 10:10pm local time.
02:08:40 pm
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02:07:42 pm
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Norris's race has been wrecked by taking fresh tyres just before the Schumacher safety car turned into a red flag. That meant he was way back in the pack for the initial restart, having to swerve to avoid Perez, and he's only now got back to the cusp of the points in P11 thanks to others clashing ahead of him. Stroll's P10 is his next target.
02:07:01 pm
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In the laps when there has been clean running, Verstappen looks quicker in the first sector before Hamilton is able to claw back the time around the rest of the lap. Not that it matters with these VSCs.
Quote
02:06:54 pm
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"We need a safety car, I don't know if Michael is hearing or not. The circuit is in the worst condition of the weekend, mate," Alonso implores over the radio.
Safety car
02:05:34 pm
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Virtual Safety Car again. Like buses, these...
02:05:06 pm
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A bit more housekeeping - Tsunoda has a five-second time penalty for his contact with Vettel. Not that it will make too much difference right now, as he's currently last in 16th.
02:03:39 pm
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That's two red flags, two virtual safety car periods and one proper safety car so far in this race, if anyone is keeping count at home.
Green flag
02:03:33 pm
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It's a brief one, we're back to green again. The cause was Raikkonen's front wing, broken after contact with Vettel, which prompts him to pit.
Safety car
02:02:30 pm
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Virtual safety car is out again, for debris at the hairpin.
02:01:41 pm
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Problems for Vettel, he's slowing. "Oh come on guys," he complains over the radio as he drops behind Norris and Latifi.
Stopwatch
02:00:30 pm
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Hamilton sets another fastest lap to move within one second of Verstappen. Jaws theme music intensifies.
02:00:22 pm
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There's a collectors item for you - Alonso has spun, but doesn't hit anything and rejoins 15th.
01:59:34 pm
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Sainz is now ahead of Leclerc though. Can he make his medium tyres work for him? The Spaniard is now 10 seconds behind Giovinazzi in seventh.
01:58:55 pm
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Away we go again and Verstappen has a 1.2s gap on Hamilton now. Forget about those behind them being a factor, Ocon is already 8.6s off Hamilton and defending from Ricciardo and Bottas.
01:58:33 pm
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Vettel is still going after taking a hefty whack on his right-rear, but lost three places in the process to the squabbling Ferraris and his team-mate Stroll. Vettel now sits P11.
Green flag
01:57:56 pm
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As Tsunoda comes in for a fresh front wing, the VSC has ended and we're back to green.
01:57:24 pm
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This VSC has pushed a big old pause button to these track battles.
01:57:17 pm
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It's a dramatic few moments in the lower top 10. Sainz dives up the inside of Leclerc, who uses the run-off to stay ahead of his team-mate, while ahead Tsunoda tries to drive around the outside of Vettel and take the inside into Turn 2, but only succeeds in tipping the Aston into a spin.
Safety car
01:55:45 pm
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Tsunoda has dropped his AlphaTauri into the wall at Turn 1 and damaged his front wing, but manages to reverse out. Virtual safety car is out.
01:55:21 pm
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Hamilton has a fairly average next lap and the gap swells to 1.4s. Verstappen can breath for now.
Stopwatch
01:53:51 pm
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DRS has been enabled and Hamilton sets another fastest lap of 1m32.130s to move within one second of Verstappen.
01:53:33 pm
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Leclerc on the hard tyres doesn't have the pace of Sainz behind him at the moment - Ferrari might be wise to swap their drivers around before the Spaniard's tyres have seen their best, with Leclerc currently unable to do anything about Tsunoda ahead.
Stopwatch
01:52:45 pm
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Hamilton responds to Verstappen's pace with a new fastest lap of 1m32.532s to close the gap by three-tenths. Remember, Hamilton is on the hards, Verstappen is on the mediums.
Quote
01:51:08 pm
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"Lack of power guys!" Verstappen says over his team radio. He's told the battery is just topping up.
Stopwatch
01:50:21 pm
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Verstappen sets a new fastest lap of 1m32.712s to pull his lead to 1.4s.
01:49:41 pm
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The Turn 3 pile-up is to be investigated after the race. Let's park that one for now, say the FIA stewards.
01:48:59 pm
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Giovinazzi has also made a good start, moving up to seventh, with Vettel now eighth after starting the original grand prix (which feels like a lifetime ago now) down in 17th.
01:48:54 pm
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At the end of lap 17, the first lap of this restart, Hamilton charges by Ocon and gets the move done braking for Turn 1. Hamilton is second hunting down Verstappen.
01:47:31 pm
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There was also contact between the trio at the Turn 1 apex but all three appear to be OK and still running. Ocon, who cut Turn 2, appeared to hand the lead to Verstappen having run off track.
01:46:54 pm
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The extra grip has certainly helped those on mediums as further back Tsunoda rounds up Leclerc around the outside of the banked hairpin for ninth place.
Pagination
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By: Autosport Staff
Published: Dec 5, 2021, 7:17 PM
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