Race recap: Brits battle it out as Bearman sparks sensation in Saudi Arabia

Fresh from the Bahrain season opener, it was another one-two victory for Red Bull as Max Verstappen stormed to victory in Saudi Arabia, followed by his teammate Sergio Perez. Trailing behind them was another Ferrari - Charles Leclerc this time - while his temporary British teammate Oliver Bearman proved a sensation after scoring points in his Formula One debut aged just 18. Here's all the highlights from the second race of the 2024 season in Jeddah.

Bearman stars in sensational debut 

British driver Ollie Bearman finished seventh on his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari, making history as the youngest Briton to start an F1 race, aged just 18.
After starting 11th, the Brit beat fellow countryman and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and McLaren's Lando Norris, when he finished seventh. Overtaking Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu and Nico Hulkenberg during the race, Bearman also showed he could hold off advances from fellow Brits Norris and Hamilton towards the end of the race.
Despite admitting he was physically "destroyed" after the race, Bearman noted his debut had been "good fun," with team boss Frederic Vasseur complimenting Bearman on a "fantastic job."

Best of Britain battle it out as Mercedes and McLaren go head-to-head 

While battles for the top spot are few and far between given Red Bull's dominance, much of the on-track action in 2024 could come from British-based Mercedes and McLaren this season if Jeddah is anything to go by.
Making up fifth to eighth on the starting grid was McLaren's Oscar Piastri, followed by teammate Lando Norris and fellow Mercedes countrymen George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in seventh and eighth. After the lights went out, the two British teams battled it out, with Russell pulling away from the fray to finish the race in sixth, in front of Ferrari's fresh recruit Bearman in seventh.

Behind Bearman was Norris, who held off advances from Hamilton who finished ninth. With four British drivers finishing inside the points, Jeddah proved that the UK's home-grown racing talents are still the ones to watch this season.

Rookie 'mistake' for seasoned Aston Martin driver Stroll 

Accidents happen in the world of F1, but for Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, who's now into his eighth season in the sport, a 'rookie' tap on the inside of turn 22 sent his car flying into the wall, ending his race early.
"It was just a mistake," admitted the Canadian in a candid interview after returning to the pits. 

Out of the race by lap seven, Stroll's unfortunate race ending rounded off a poor weekend performance, which started with him trailing behind his teammate Fernando Alonso in qualifying. While Stroll was picking up the pieces of his broken AMR24 in the garage, Alonso brought home a solid fifth place in the race, continuing his points run in 2024.
 

Red Bull domination continues, as does off-track drama 

While few wins this season are likely to come close to the outright domination that Verstappen showed in the season opener in Bahrain, the Dutch driver's victory in Jeddah wasn't far off. Winning with a convincing 13.6s margin on his teammate Perez in second, the pair once again showed Red Bull's unstoppable race pace.

But, while it looks to be a done deal on track, Red Bull's woes only seem to be worsening off it. With the appearance of Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff over the race weekend, the figure appeared to temporarily quell tensions in the team between Team Principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko. Still, rumours swirl of Vertsappen's potential move to Mercedes.

It's all to play for as the season unfolds. Join us for the British Grand Prix this July to see all the action for yourself.