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Lewis Hamilton has claimed that Red Bull’s all-new RB19 challenger is the most dominant F1 car he has ever seen in the history of the sport following today’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“I’ve definitely never seen a car so fast,” said Hamilton, who was simply unable to defend from Max Verstappen at one point given the sheer gulf in speed between himself and the Dutchman.

“When we were fast, we weren’t that fast. That’s the fastest car I think I’ve seen, especially compared to the rest.

“I don’t know how or why but he came past me with serious speed. I didn’t even bother to block because there was a massive speed difference.”

Fernando Alonso has sensationally had his post-race penalty reversed following a successful appeal, the FIA have announced with an official statement .

It means that Alonso will return to third place in the finishing order at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with George Russell dropping back down to fourth.

The statement explains that the decision to penalise Alonso was overturned after the stewards reviewed new evidence that was presented by Aston Martin after the chequered flag.

Fernando Alonso has set tongues wagging on social media by tweeting to celebrate his 100th podium finish in F1 despite being stripped of third place in Saudi Arabia thanks to a post-race penalty.

It has been suggested that Aston Martin might yet decide to appeal the penalty, which saw George Russell bumped up into third position after the chequered flag in Jeddah.

100th Podium ! What an amazing TEAM we have and fast car! Proud of you @AstonMartinF1 \ud83d\udc99. pic.twitter.com/ozhApWJbc1

\u2014 Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) March 19, 2023

Toto Wolff has insisted that Mercedes are taking large steps in the right direction after George Russell managed to secure the team’s first podium of 2023 in Saudi Arabia earlier today.

“If you look at the Red Bulls, they’re just so quick, that I think we understand the car more is what I meant,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1 after the race.

“I’m looking optimistic in the future because we just need to put it in a different window. We’re changing the bodywork of the car, how the floor works, all of these things mechanically.

“We’re looking at certain areas, and the team in Brackley is just flat out and that is really nice to see that we can monetise on the Sundays on that.”

“We got some great points for the team, George got third and he did amazing,” says Lewis Hamilton in the media pen as he runs the rule over his fifth-placed finish in Jeddah.

“I went forwards so I’m really grateful to have come from seventh to fifth.

“The strategy didn’t really work out for me, the set up was a little bit off. If I had the set up George had, I would have been in a better position.

“But yeah, lots to work on but there are positives to take away from it. On set up, there was a 50/50 choice, I chose one way and he chose the other, and more often than not, the way he went was the wrong one but it just happened to work.

“I could only match his pace rather than be quicker this weekend but I’ll work hard to make sure we’re in a better position next weekend.”

Lewis Hamilton could only manage a fifth-placed finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Image: GETTY)

Fernando Alonso has had 10 seconds added to his race time by the stewards for not serving his original five-second penalty in the correct manner.

Esteban Ocon was given a 10-second penalty for a similar offence in Bahrain and it looks like Alonso has been dealt with in the same way.

It means that George Russell moves up into third place to claim Mercedes’ first podium of the season.

Read the full story HERE .

BREAKING: Fernando Alonso is given a 10s penalty for an incorrectly-served penalty, and loses his podium in Jeddah #SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/PWA3dM3wI4

\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 19, 2023

Sergio Perez has won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen, with Fernando Alonso crossing the line in third.

However, there is a chance that the Spaniard could yet be stripped of his podium place, with the stewards investigating whether or not his early five-second penalty was served correctly.

Follow our dedicated live page for further updates.

Sergio Perez is still leading the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but will have his work cut out to hold second-placed Max Verstappen at arm’s length over the remaining 18 laps.

A reminder that you can follow LIVE updates on our dedicated page, which is HERE .

Angela Cullen, who is no longer working with the 38-year-old after their seven-year partnership ended earlier this week.

“I think that probably makes things even worse,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1. “Even though the split apparently was amicable, Angela was a real friend.

“It’s with your trainer that most of your time during the race weekend you end up also going to dinner with in a very small, tight group – maybe a family member and a trainer and that’s it.

“For Lewis not to have her I’m sure is gonna be not ideal and not so nice. I think that’s probably another challenge he has to deal with and get used to.”

Nico Rosberg has offered his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton’s split with Angela Cullen (Image: GETTY)

This year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is set to get underway in around half a hour’s time, with Sergio Perez starting on pole for the second time in as many seasons.

We’ll be providing LIVE updates on the action as it unfolds via our dedicated page, which can be found HERE .

Max Verstappen will undoubtedly be facing an uphill battle in Saudi Arabia today but the 25-year-old is not ruling himself out of the running despite starting from all the way down in 15th position.

“Of course I would have liked to have started further up the road but I can’t change that now,” said Verstappen after yesterday’s quailfying session.

“Anything is possible at this track. We have seen a lot of crazy things. Let’s stay a little bit realistic, it is going to be tough, but we have good pace, so for sure we’ll move forward.”

Charles Leclerc has rejected claims he and Lewis Hamilton could switch seats in a major F1 shake-up.

With both drivers’ contracts close to expiring, a switch would certainly be theoretically possible.

However, Leclerc appeared to squash the rumours ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

He said: “It’s the first time I’ve heard all these voices from outside since I’ve been at Ferrari. Maybe someone wants to destabilise us.

“I’m in red, and I think it’s quite obvious how much I love Ferrari, and how much I want to win with Ferrari.

“There’s not much more to say. For me it’s pretty clear.”

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Charles Leclerc has denied the rumours (Image: Getty)

Fernando Alonso has revealed his goal is for himself and Lance Stroll to beat Lewis Hamilton at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 41-year-old starts third on the grid for the race with Stroll in sixth as Aston Martin continue their impressive start to the season, but Alonso is only focusing on beating Hamilton for now.

“For us the most important thing is to score points,” said Alonso in his post-qualifying press conference. “We are starting both cars in the top five.

“We will try to finish both cars in the top five and keep accumulating points for the constructors’ championship. That’s the main goal for Aston Martin this year.”

Alpine boss Otmar Szafnaeur has admitted he didn’t know Pierre Gasly well before the Frenchman agreed to join the team for 2023.

The Frenchman replaced Fernando Alonso after he signed a two-year deal witih Aston Martin, ending Gasly’s decade-long association with Red Bull. And Szafnaeur said he sought advice from around the paddock about his new driver.

“I didn’t know Pierre that well so I had to ask around the paddock,” he told Sky Sports F1. “He is a lovely guy and if you look after him, he is fast. So we are trying to look after him.”

“He is enjoying being with us, we are enjoying having him. He is very comfortable, there is more to come.”

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed speculation of a bust-up between himself and trainer Angela Cullen after it was announced she would be leaving the team.

The 49-year-old had spent seven seasons with Hamilton as his personal physio before the Briton announced her departure. But the seven-time world champion insists their friendship will remain and hailed her influence on his life.

“Me and Ange are good,” he said in Jeddah. “She’s moving on to a different phase in her life. We’re still super-close and we have been texting every day.

“She’s massively supportive and I’m massively supportive of her. I’m so grateful to have had her with me on this journey. She’s one of my closest friends and she continues to be.”

Getty (Image: )

Max Verstappen has been listed as the second-favourite to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix behind his team-mate Sergio Perez, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.

Betfair have handed the Dutchman a low price to win the race despite the fact he will start 15th on the grid.

That is a huge contrast to Lewis Hamilton, who has been only handed an outside chance of winning the race for Mercedes.

Saudi Arabian GP Winner odds (provided by Betfair)

Sergio Perez – Evens

Max Verstappen – 8/5

Fernando Alonso – 5/1

George Russell – 22/1

Charles Leclerc – 30/1

Carlos Sainz – 35/1

Lewis Hamilton – 40/1

Lance Stroll – 70/1

Red Bull star Max Verstappen could win six Drivers’ word championship titles in a row due to the dominance he is enjoying, according to Felipe Massa.

The Dutchman has already won the past two titles and in 2022 claimed 15 wins out of 22 races. Massa, who missed out on the 2008 title to Lewis Hamilton, believes the 25-year-old could dominate F1 until 2026.

“I think that’s happening now,” the Brazilian told Germany’s Bild newspaper when asked if Verstappen was dominating in the same style as Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

“I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t get the hat-trick. And much more than that. Max can also win four, five or six titles in a row.”

Max Verstappen: The Red Bull star has been tipped to win six titles in a row (Image: Getty)

Former world champion Nico Rosberg fears that Mercedes’ problems on the track could last for years as the team struggle to solve their pace issues.

The Silver Arrows are a long way off Red Bull’s pace and Lewis Hamilton has made his disappointment clear, with Toto Wolff promising to bring big upgrades later in the season.

But 2016 champion Rosberg thinks the issues could last longer.

“It’s such a difficult situation for them,” he said on Sky Sports F1. “Seriously, they’re so used to the great success that they’ve had, winning eight (constructors’) championships in a row.

“And now, to be in such a prolonged period of difficulty and also not making the progress – on the contrary, struggling more actually.

“Toto was pretty clear saying, ‘Okay, we’ve now realised it was a dead-end street, we have to make big changes’.”

Nico Rosberg: The ex-Mercedes driver fears for his old team (Image: Getty)

Max Verstappen has cast doubt on whether he can fight back to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a mechanical failure in qualifying denied him the chance to fight for pole.

The Dutchman will start 15th on the grid while his team-mate Sergio Perez starts on the front row in first, and the world champion admits securing a second win of the season may be beyond him.

“I’m sure that we can move forward, I do think that trying to win the race is a bit of a stretch,” Verstappen told reporters.

“Because of the tyre management that needs to happen, everyone just seems to drive to a certain pace, but we’ll try to recover as much as we can.

“The car’s been really quick all weekend, every time I went out the car’s been working really well, I felt comfortable. And I know it’s a long season so a lot of things can happen.”

By Luke Chillingsworth

Lewis Hamilton may be a seven-time F1 world champion, but things may have turned out very differently if the 38-year-old got what he wanted.

Rewind the clock 30 years and Hamilton’s dream was more Barry Sheene than Ayrton Senna.

However, his fate was changed when dad Anthony purchased a go-kart after the pair had enjoyed racing remote control cars. Speaking back in 2015, Hamilton commented: “When I was a kid I wanted to race motorbikes. When my dad bought me my first go-kart I actually wanted a motorbike.

“I’m not disappointed how things have turned out but bikes were my first love I suppose. I’d also love to test a MotoGP bike just to see what it’s like. Naturally I’d know the lines but I’d love to know if I could even do it.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Lewis Hamilton: The Mercedes star could have turned to motorbikes instead of F1 (Image: Getty Images)

Williams driver Logan Sargeant has been granted permission to start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday after failing to qualify for the race.

The American rookie struggled to cope with the tricky demands of the Jeddah Corniche street circuit and failed to set a lap time in his three hot laps during qualifying on Saturday, forcing the F1 stewards to make a decision over whether he would be allowed to race.

Regulations stipulate that drivers must set a time which is within 107 per cent of the time set by the pole-sitter in order to qualify for the event and the American did not post a lap time.

However, the F1 race stewards have given the green light to the youngster to take his place on the grid for Sunday’s race and he will now start from the back of the grid.

Fernando Alonso believes Max Verstappen will still finish on the podium at least despite starting 15th in today’s race.

The Spaniard admits Red Bull’s pace is so strong that they will be able to sail through the field and challenge those at the front despite Verstappen’s issues in qualifying.

“I think Max will come eventually in the race,” he said. “They have this advantage – I don’t know which race it was last year that he started last, he changed the power unit and still finished P2 or even he won the race. So I think tomorrow there is no doubt that he will be in the podium, probably, minimum.”

“On pure pace, I think Red Bull is in another league and I think we have to concentrate more on the teams behind,” he said. “Ferrari will be very strong, Mercedes are strong, also Alpine they are fast here. So I think our race is just behind us.

Fernando Alonso: The Spaniard admitted Verstappen could finish on the podium (Image: Getty Images)

Charles Leclerc has dismissed speculation of a possible swap deal that would see him join Mercedes to make way for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

The Monegasque has been honest about his issues with the team over the past 12 months, while Hamilton has been linked with a move away from Mercedes amid their ongoing struggles in 2023.

But Leclerc, under contract with the Scuderia until 2025, insists he is happy with the Italian team and is going nowhere.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard all these voices from outside since I’ve been at Ferrari. Maybe someone wants to destabilise us,” Leclerc told Sky Sports Italia.

“I’m in red,” he added, “and I think it’s quite obvious how much I love Ferrari, and how much I want to win with Ferrari. There’s not much more to say. For me it’s pretty clear.”

Lando Norris fumed at Max Verstappen’s “dangerous” antics which almost saw the two drivers collide during qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Norris was alarmed to see a slow-moving Verstappen in his path when on a hot lap, taking evasive action to avoid a collision by decelerating and swerving onto the curb. But the 23-year-old was clearly shaken as he vented over the team radio and made his feelings clear.

“It’s dangerous what these guys are doing,” the McLaren driver exclaimed after the near-miss. “They need to use the radio or something. That could have been a massive crash.”

Verstappen called out his team for failing to notify him of Norris’ whereabouts and could be seen later apologising to the McLaren star.

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is struggling to find comfort in the Mercedes W14 after managing only eighth in qualifying on Saturday.

The 38-year-old will start seventh on the grid thanks to Charles Leclerc’s penalty, but the Briton is unsure whether he can produce his best pace in the car at the moment.

“I just don’t feel connected to this car and no matter what I do and no matter what I change, I can’t get confidence in it. I’m at a bit of a loss with it,” he told reporters.

“Maybe it will be OK for tomorrow. I wouldn’t hold my breath. I just don’t feel the car underneath me…I don’t really know what I am going to do about that.”

Lewis Hamilton: The Mercedes (Image: Twitter/Sky Sports F1)

Hello and welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE coverage of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

It’s race day in Jeddah so it promises to be a busy day of action and news from the F1 paddock, so be sure to stick with us as we bring you live updates throughout the day.

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