Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix 2023 live: Sergio Perez on pole for the second race of the season in Jeddah
After an action-packed qualifying session on Saturday, it was Sergio Perez who bested the chasers to put his Red Bull on pole for the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Mexican driver overtook Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso to take just the second pole of his F1 career, both of whom have raced at the same Jeddah circuit.
His team-mate Max Verstappen would arguably have taken the top spot had it not been for the Dutchman having to retire midway through Q2 with a gearbox issue, meaning he will start today’s race from P15 on the grid.
The winner of the opening race will sit close behind Drivers’ Championship title rivals Leclerc who, despite finishing P2 in qualifying, falls to P12 on the grid today due to a 10-place penalty for replacing engine parts ahead of the weekend.
MORE: F1 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Predictions, Odds, Betting Tips & Best Bets
F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 Live Updates, Highlights: How It Happens
15 minutes until lights out: The drivers begin to move to the front of the grid for the national anthem. It won’t be long until we’re racing this exciting Jeddah Street Circuit!
30 minutes until lights out: As the pit lane opens, we see the cars making their way to the starting grid.
Unsurprisingly, after the practice starts we’ve just seen, it will look like soft tires for everyone in the field.
45 minutes until lights out: Who can still fight for victory today? Well, look no further than Fernando Alonso, starting alongside Perez on the front row.
Expect the experienced Spaniard to get off to a strong start in his Aston Martin car as he seeks his first F1 win since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix!
According to this poll on the official Formula 1 Twitter account, he is the favorite among fans.
1 hour until lights out: Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen will have completely different thoughts today!
The Dutchman might start this race from P15 but if he can avoid problems in the early transitions he could still be up there at the end of this race.
Remember; Verstappen won the Belgian Grand Prix last year despite starting from P14.
1 hour and 15 minutes until lights out: It might not be the Red Bull car we all expected on pole today, but Sergio Perez will be absolutely desperate to take the checkered flag.
Having won just four races in his career, he’s hoping for something better today than when he was in Saudi Arabia last year. That’s because he took pole here last season but finished the following race in P4.
1 hour and 30 minutes until lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – the second race of the new F1 season.
With its tight corners and lightning-fast straights, expect plenty of drama today as F1 returns to the Jeddah Street Circuit.
Starting grid for the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
| position | driver |
| 1 | Sergio Perez |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso |
| 3 | George Russell |
| 4 | Carlo Sainz |
| 5 | lance walk |
| 6 | Esteban Ocon |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 8th | Oskar Piastri |
| 9 | Pierre Gasli |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 11 | Zhou Guanyu |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc* |
| 13 | Kevin Magussen |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas |
| 15 | Max Verstappen |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 17 | Alex Albon |
| 18 | Nyck de Vries |
| 19 | Lando Norris |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant |
*denotes a grid penalty.
MORE: F1 qualifying results: Sergio Perez on pole for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen suffers technical issues
When does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday March 19th
- Start time: 5:00pm GMT / 1:00pm ET / 4:00am AEST (March 20) / 8:00pm local time
The start of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time. Lights out takes place just after 15:00 GMT
Below is the full schedule of the weekend’s F1 events at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
| Date | case | Time (GMT) | time (ET) | Time (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 03/17 | practice 1 | 1:30 p.m | 9:30 am | 00:30 (March 18) |
| Friday, 03/17 | practice 2 | 17 o’clock | 13 o’clock | 4 a.m. (March 18) |
| Saturday, 03/18 | exercise 3 | 1:30 p.m | 9:30 am | 00:30 (March 19) |
| Saturday, 03/18 | qualification | 17 o’clock | 13 o’clock | 4 a.m. (March 19) |
| Sunday, 03/19 | race | 17 o’clock | 13 o’clock | 4 a.m. (March 20) |
What TV channel is F1 on?
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | SkySports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| United Kingdom | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live broadcast | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | kayo |
How to watch Formula 1 in the USA
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live broadcast: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the US can catch all the action in 2023 when all 23 races will be broadcast live on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. For Spanish-speaking viewers, there is live coverage on ESPN Deportes, although ESPNews and ESPNU will also be showing some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
In addition to the official F1 TV service, the action can be streamed live with subscriptions to Hulu + Live TV. Elsewhere, Sling TV will show the action, as will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live broadcast: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will broadcast the races in English. For those looking for French language broadcasts, RDS is here for you.
The races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN’s streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the UK
- TV channel: SkySports F1
- Live broadcast: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the UK can follow all the F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. Viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023 can watch it via the Sky Go app if they’re already a subscriber, or they can buy a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; channel 10
- Live broadcast: kayo
Fox Sports will broadcast all races in Australia for the 2023 season.
How to watch Formula 1 in India
- TV channel: N / A
- Live broadcast: F1 TV Pro
No TV broadcast network is currently ready to host the year-round action in India, although Formula 1 has launched F1 TV Pro in the country for the first time so fans can stream the action live.
