Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Stage Preview

      The Saudi Arabian stage completes an intense series of three consecutive stages, five Grands Prix in six weeks. The beginning of the season turned out to be intense, there were some surprises, the main thing is that it's really interesting to watch.

      The beginning of the season showed strengths and weaknesses, revealed favorites and outsiders, and set a plan for future actions for many. Some will now finally focus on the 2026 cars, given the complexity of the task, while others will try to make the most of the current season, because the title in 2025 will not become less honorable due to the fact that this is the year before the changes.

      The stage in Saudi Arabia will be an excellent end to the first phase of the championship. It's a pity that other tracks in the Middle East are not like Jeddah.

      On a high-speed track where many turns are blind, the skill of the racers, their ability to attack, accurately measuring the degree of risk, makes the stage in Saudi Arabia incredibly spectacular.

      Over the past four Grand Prix in Jeddah, the drivers have accumulated a lot of cars, but the best remained the best. Sometimes there was a feeling that the racers were just lucky enough to avoid serious accidents, and the audience liked this feeling of constant danger. One of the best tracks of recent years.

      Obviously, Aston Martin has already made its choice. After several relatively successful years in the middle group, the team has set its sights on serious progress in 2026, when, with the advent of the Adrian Newey-built machine, investments should begin to pay off. It's just a pity for the fans who have to watch the team finish the season. In the days of Eddie Jordan and even Vijay Malia, the team was more combative.

      And it's also a pity for Fernando Alonso, who finished 16th last week without any hope for the best, and became 15th only after Hulkenberg was disqualified. Last year, Alonso finished ninth in Bahrain, and after four stages, the team had 33 points, not 10, as it is today.

      The situation at Aston Martin is not unique. Several teams have put the season on hold for 2026, but sometimes you can expect surprises from them, like from Alpine and Pierre Gasly in Bahrain.

      Last week, there were rumors that Max Verstappen is ready to part ways with Red Bull at the end of the season. Someone leaked information to the press, hoping to strengthen their position in the ongoing struggle for power.

      Last year, they tried not to involve Max in this fight, because he is the most valuable asset of the team, although Horner then said in the heat of the argument that it was possible to do without Max when there was an experienced team and a fast car.

      A year has passed, and now it turns out that no one but Verstappen can handle the car – three have already been tried, and the team's experience is waning along with the departure of experienced employees who are not satisfied with this state of affairs. And the best pit stops are now not at Red Bull, but at Ferrari.

      Interestingly, Helmut Marko did not deny the possibility of Max's departure, but even stated that he would not follow him because he was loyal to Red Bull.

      An interesting situation in a confidently negative way. It was obvious that the series of successes would end one day. Unless the team performs a miracle in 2026, but with engines of its own design, this is unlikely.

      An interesting Jeddah, friends!