SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2022

Could this be the year I've been waiting for (and simultaneously terrified of)? Could this finally be the year that's Max vs. Charles??

Because that's what it looks like so far. This race was FULL of fantastic moments of Charles and Max racing each other for the lead and leaving all the other contenders in the dust. Max won, but it was the closest winning margin in a long time and Charles was that close second.

I loved how much respect there is between Max and Charles, especially from Charles who waved and gave a thumbs up to Max on the lap after the win and Max waved back. Charles also got on the radio after and congratulated Max and said how great that racing was. He also spoke about it after the race about the respect always being there. I LOVE IT.

This was also the weekend that Mick Schumacher had his (second) terrifying crash at Jeddah, but this time it was in qualifying. That's why the session was about 2.5 hours long. But thank God he's okay and was back at the track the next day. That was absolutely awful waiting to hear if he was alright and not having any information.

Here are my race notes:

Free Practice 1, 2 & 3

• Kevin has some problems with the car

• Lando runs over a sign that shatters all over the track and the have to red flag to clean it up
  

Qualifying

• Latifi has a high speed crash and red flags the session but they clean it up quickly

• The best part of this is that Hamilton just got out and didn’t make it to Q2 on PURE LACK OF PACE, no crashes or other excuses, just purely not good and George made it in and everyone is so shocked but I love it

• Kevin and Daniel under investigation for a potential unsafe release

• Daniel impedes Ocon and they think Daniel will get a penalty for it

• MICK SCHUMACHER HAS A HUGE HIGH SPEED CRASH into turn 12 and they show it live but then didn’t show more of it because it was very high speed and they know they have to send an ambulance right away and he isn’t getting out of the car but is talking to the doctor but they still don’t show it and put him in the ambulance right away and everyone is VERY worried

• As they are cleaning up little Schumacher’s Haas, they lift it with the crane and THE HAAS BREAKS IN HALF ON THE CRANE and I have never seen that before and Jenson says he’s never seen that before and that tells us how hard the car has hit

• They finally resume Q2 with five minutes to go

• Out in Q2: Norris, Ricciardo, Zhou, lil Schu, Stroll

• The Ferraris put in great laps

• PEREZ ON POLE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! He stole pole from the Ferraris at the last minute!!

• Not sure why Max qualified in fourth but there was also an incident with him noted that no one explained. It seemed like it was related to him having no grip on those tires

• Perez on pole, Charles in second, Sainz in third

• They were so classy congratulating Checo and he was so adorable and happy, it was such a rollercoaster qualifying from that horrifying crash to the insane top 3 at the end to the Maxy thing and the thing where George Russell qualified 6th and Hamilton qualified 16th, I LOVE THAT
  

Race

• Yuki won’t start because his engine cut out in the formation lap

• Daniel got his penalty for impeding Ocon

• Mick Schumacher won’t start of course because of such a big impact and if they crash again today they won’t be able to race again in Australia for lack of parts

• They show the onboard of lil Schumacher’s crash for the first time

• Hulk still in for Vettel in the Aston Martin

• After race start Max got Carlos and he is into third and Perez maintains lead and Charles in second

• Zhou has the same problem as Bot has starting in Bahrain and had like an anti stall thing and then got a little pushed around but is still going in 17th and is still ahead of Latifi

• 4/50 HA GEORGE gets past Ocon for 5th and I LOVE IT

• Ocon cut off Alo trying to do a move on him and it was very late

• Max reports that the Ferrari harvesting lights aren’t working

• Ocon and Alonso constantly

• Zhou a five second penalty for gaining an advantage off track

• They can’t stop showing Hamilton replays

• Charles bluffs going in to have Perez pit and it worked

• 16/50 Latifi crashes and safety car

• Carlos and Perez pit and Carlos claims he was out ahead of Perez at the safety car line so they have the Gia investigate it before the restart so Perez gives the place back on restart

• Zhou under investigation for not serving penalty because they forgot to stop their front jack man from touching the car so now Zhou has a drive through penalty, brutal

• 37/50 Alonso has an overheating issue and he was having an amazing race but now Alonso is going to have to retire

• 37/50 now DANIEL has no drive in the McLaren and car is skiing so yellow flag and not able to make it into the pits and he’s blocking the pit lane entrance and no safety car yet, only yellow flag, and there’s confusion and now it’s virtual safety car

• Pit lane entry now closed

• Somewhere in all this Bottas has to retire but makes it into the pits

• Hamilton wants to pit but they tell him too late and now he’s the only one who hasn’t pitted hahahah and he totally gets

• So basically three dropped at once on lap 37

• Then there are TEN INSANE LAPS OF MAX AND CHARLES FIGHTING FOR THE LEAD

• 49/50 Albon and Stroll collide and there is a yellow that blocks Charles from getting ahead

• MAX AND CHARLES GO TO THE LINE ON THE LAST LAP

• MAX WINS AND CHARLES IS SECOND WOWWWWW

• Charles gets on the radio on the way into the pits to say well done to max, that was nice, and he’s so classy

• Closet winning margin in a really long time between Max and Charles

• Possible breach of double yellow for Perez and Carlos but it’s just usual confusion

• Man on the podium max and Charles both look absolutely exhausted from all that amazing racing

• They show a replay of Charles waving and giving a thumbs up to Max after the line and Max doing the same thing back RESPECTTTTT