Rate the 2023 Saudi GP

[PTRACER]

Not the most enthralling race...5/10 feels generous.

[Aty]

6/10
It is getting better. Max was phenomenal. Perez was OK, but this might be one off. Drive shafts on Max's machine will be OK in the future. Alonso needs to retire (and take Hamilton with him). Young guys waiting for seats and their chance.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I will vote when I have seen the first half of the race I slept through

[Michael Ferner]

Five from me. Gratuitous safety car, and I don't buy their excuse of "GPS signal... better safe than sorry..." - no, that was a "let's wake up our viewers decision", and I was about to give the race four points, but overall the SC didn't change that much, and the gaps throughout the field were pretty small, so that a minor mistake from one of the drivers might have given us a bit more than just the two fights over tenth and, what was it, 15th? I don't expect to be on the edge of my seat every other Sunday, but that was not enough when the overall setup is already providing a goodly number of turnoffs: pit stops, DRS, an unimaginative track layout and night race (lack of) atmosphere - this one was never going to get more than six anyway. Oh, and the questionable stewarding... Perhaps I should have given it four, still.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Alonso needs to retire (and take Hamilton with him). Young guys waiting for seats and their chance.

Why would AM drop him / Fernando retire. He is one of the better drivers on the grid, far better than any of the junior or so called reserve drivers.

Would you want Fernando or Mick Schumacher or Felipe Drugovich or any of the reserves driving your car?
The answer is obvious. The teams want results. They are going to keep the drivers who know how to race.... those who have the racecraft and knowledge of how to win a GP. The ones who wont wet their pants and throw it into the wall at the sniff of a point. F1 has never been easy... unless your Father is a billionaire or a team owner. Even that doesnt guarantee it as we saw with Latifi.

[Aty]

Alonso needs to retire (and take Hamilton with him). Young guys waiting for seats and their chance.

Why would AM drop him / Fernando retire. He is one of the better drivers on the grid, far better than any of the junior or so called reserve drivers.

Would you want Fernando or Mick Schumacher or Felipe Drugovich or any of the reserves driving your car?
The answer is obvious. The teams want results. They are going to keep the drivers who know how to race.... those who have the racecraft and knowledge of how to win a GP. The ones who wont wet their pants and throw it into the wall at the sniff of a point. F1 has never been easy... unless your Father is a billionaire or a team owner. Even that doesnt guarantee it as we saw with Latifi.

Why I want Alonso to retire? I thoiught it would be good idea. His performance today suggest I might not be far off. I didn't name any names to replace him, but future of the sport needs to rest on steady development of human and material resources. I am not particulary interested seeing old geeks driving for too long, and then one day grid is full with young guys with very little or no experience, and quality of racing falls off the edge. If he stays, I get over it, no problem.

[Vassago]

3/10. F2 races were more enjoyable than this one. You know it's a bad race when battle for 15th place gets the most TV coverage in the closing laps.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I gave it a probably generous 4 having watched the early laps I didnt see live at the time. I was going to say missed, but not sure I missed anything.

Why a 4? Firstly that ridiculous SC. No need for an SC at all.... we have a VSC for that situation. Compounded by the fact the decision to deploy was based on a bloke behind a monitor with GPS. Why do they have to complicate it with GPS. Why not just open their bloody eyes and see that the car was behind barriers before the SC was deployed. A simple phone / radio question to the Marshall's post would have given them a truer status than a GPS reading.

It reminds me of many moons ago when Williams were a force, and the sky was grey about tyre time. Some bloke in the garage was looking at the weather radar. Seeing the indecision Patrick Head IIRC grabbed the weather guy by the scruff of the neck, dragged him out of the garage and told him with all the expletives possible to look at the effing sky and put your hand out./. It was already raining and getting harder. Computer screens dont always have. the right answer in context.

Then the whole penalties re Alonso scenario. I would argue the case of is it necessary to penalise someone for a discrepancy of a few inches to one side when it did not involve being over the jump start line. Then the time said decision took.... it wasnt even looked at until nearly a quarter of an hour after race finished for. an iffy offence on lap 14.

Throw in a DRS setup that was so overly generous to the follower it made me angry Overtaking for position is meant to be a challenge not a 25kph gift.

That will do for starters!

[XcraigX]

5 Some good with alot of bad.
RedBull 2-1 is something we rarely see.
Alonso 100 podiums was great
Stewarding decisions sucked major donkey dong
The RedBull car is so dominant, we know the winner will be only 1 of 2 cars
Ferrari went backwards at a track that was supposed to favor their car attributes
The most exciting thing on the track for the last 15 laps was a battle for 15th

[Star]

I only gave it a 5, I had the 'highlights' and even they were pretty dull in places. I wasn't impressed by this race to be honest, without DRS it would have been even more dull I suspect and I'm not a fan of passing under DRS either.

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

A 3/10 vote here.

Precious little of note. Hoped for dramas as Leclerc and Max carved their way to the front just didn't happen, imo. Would rather have watched paint dry.

[Mawerick]

Too bad there's no "I watched it but can't really remember anything about it" option.