Fast Five: McLaren’s gap to the leader, Ocon getting to grips with his car, and other big updates

Max must overcome P15 start

Max Verstappen, the championship leader, faces a challenge in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to a driveshaft failure that left him in 15th place on the grid. Despite being the favorite and topping all three practice sessions, the mechanical issue during Q2 hindered his performance. Verstappen believes that winning the race might be a stretch but aims to recover as much as possible, knowing it's a long season. Although disappointed with the qualifying outcome, he is excited for the race and hopes to move forward in the field, considering the car's pace. However, he remains cautious about potential chaos in the first lap on the Jeddah street circuit.

Click here to read the full article by Chris Medland (Racer.com)

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Fernando Alonso’s excitement after finishing P3

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“The car felt very good, the team did an amazing job”

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Ocon struggled to handle his car

Esteban Ocon secured a strong sixth place in qualifying on the Jeddah street circuit, just 0.813 seconds behind polesitter Sergio Perez. His Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly ranked ninth. Ocon revealed that he hit the concrete barriers twice on his crucial Q3 lap but managed to continue and improve his time. He admitted to the car's instability and said that he had to "disconnect" from it at times, particularly after a snap in practice. Ocon is happy that qualifying is over and looks forward to giving a good fight during the race.

Click here to read the full article by Matt Kew (Motorsport.com)

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Hamilton’s commitment to Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed the idea of leaving Mercedes or retiring from Formula One due to recent on-track challenges. Despite Mercedes' decline in performance, Hamilton expressed his gratitude for the team and commitment to working with them to improve. Hamilton's future has been a topic of speculation as his contract ends this year and he recently parted ways with performance coach Angela Cullen. However, Hamilton stated that their relationship remains positive. In the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Hamilton will start from the seventh position, while teammate George Russell secured the second row.

Click here to read the full article by Laurence Edmondson (Espn.com)

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McLaren faced a significant top speed deficit

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Even with such a huge top-speed deficit, Piastri outperformed Perez in many corners.