Review: The 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be very different to last year's

Last year, everything seemed smooth for the Red Bull Racing team in Jeddah. From the first free practice, Red Bull was at the front. Max Verstappen was the fastest of the whole field in FP1 and FP3. In FP2 Fernando Alonso and George Russell finished ahead of him.

During FP3, Oliver Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, who had to sit out the remainder of the weekend due to apendicitis

In qualifying, Max Verstappen dominated every session taking pole ahead of Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc and former teammate, Sergio Perez.

An excellent start by the Dutchman allowed him to quickly pull away from his competitors. Verstappen was so fast that he already had a 1-second lead over Charles Leclerc after the opening lap.

On the fourth lap, it was a Verstappen led Red Bull 1-2 as Perez passed Leclerc. After a heavy crash by Lance Stroll, Verstappen decided to pit, falling behind Lando Norris, who chose to stay out, giving the McLaren F1 driver the lead of the race.

At the beginning of lap 13, Verstappen's overtake on Norris brought him back to P1. Shortly after, Perez also passed the Brit, reregaining the 1-2 for Red Bull.

Throughout the rest of the race, Verstappen maintained the gap to P2, securing the win with almost a 14 second difference over second placed, Sergio Perez. Oliver Bearman was the surprise of the day, finishing seventh.

This year, however, The Austrians arrive in Jeddah with four crisis meetings under their belts and in shambles, with a highly critical Max Verstappen, who is done hearing promises of potential gains in performance by Red Bull's leadership, particularly after a gruelling Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend where the Dutchman could only finish in P6.