23/03/2022
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen: "Last weekend was a tough one for all of us to take, we win and lose as a team and we'll come back stronger this week. We have a good package and we were competitive in Bahrain, so there are positives to take from the weekend, and we have a very long season ahead - it's only the first race. Looking ahead to Saudi, the track is still very new for us, last year the humidity was challenging and they've made some small adjustments to visibility in sector one so I'm curious to see how it's going to be this time around. It's a really quick track with high speed straights and this year the cars are slightly heavier so it's going to be really interesting to see how they will perform. I'm really looking forward to it, it should be enjoyable!"
Sergio Perez: "I am looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. Bahrain was difficult, I was one lap away from starting the season on the podium but I am confident in this Team and we will work together to overcome it. The positive thing is it's a long season ahead, we have a quick car and I felt very competitive throughout the race. I am hoping to take that pace and utilise it from qualifying through to Sunday in Jeddah. Last season's race there was crazy, it is a very challenging track and will be even more so in the new cars. Unfortunately, I didn't finish the race in 2021 so I want a clean race and to show the full potential of this car."
• This weekend will be Oracle Red Bull Racing's 327th Grand Prix start, moving into the top ten longest-serving constructors in Formula One history, despite the Team only making its debut in 2005.
• Race day in Jeddah is the 51st birthday of Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard, who scored the Team's first points (Australia 2005), led their first lap (Nürburgring 2005) and claimed their first podium finish (Monaco 2006).
• Although he finished second in the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, Max Verstappen is yet to make a pitstop at this venue. He was able to take advantage of two red flags to change his tyres without having to pit under normal conditions.
• This week is an important one in Red Bull history, as April 1st marks the 35th anniversary of the sale of the very first can of Red Bull in Austria in 1987.