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F1 race today: Best memes and reactions from the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

ByAlicia de Artola|
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. (ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. (ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

The F1 race today at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix delivered thrilling moments and drama. So we collected the best tweets, memes and reactions in one place.

The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix provided more proof that the 2022 Formula 1 season is set up to be uber-competitive and exciting.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recovered from the disappointing ending to the first race with a dramatic race victory over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Here’s how it all played out and how F1 fans reacted to each moment on Twitter.

Alpine teammates get to race

The biggest highlight of the early phase of the race revolved around Alpine teammate Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon going head-to-head.

The team let the drivers race and the fans benefited from it, even if the Alpine pit crew looked like they might have heart attacks.

F1 crash: Nicholas Latifi smashes the wall

Things got even more intriguing when Nicholas Latifi lost control of his Williams around Turn 27 and ended up in the wall.

The driver was physically fine after the crash but it had a huge impact on the race.

Really it was all about timing. Ferrari had just been strategizing around overtaking Perez with an undercut. However, Red Bull pulled their driver in to pit first, prompting Leclerc to stay out instead.

That worked out beautifully for the Ferrari as Latifi’s crash brought out the safety car and allowed Leclerc to move into first place on a less-costly pit.

A Mercedes battling a Haas?

Lewis Hamilton had a miserable qualifying session and ended ups starting in 15th. With so much work to do, he did well to move up the field but it was still jarring to see him in a genuine battle with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen.

Fernando Alonso, Valterri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo retire together

Cars decided to start dropping like flies all at once. Just as Alfa Romeo’s Valterri Bottas went into the pits and had to retire, Fernando Alonso of Alpine slowed to a crawl and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo suffered engine failure.

A virtual safety car had to be called as stewards literally pushed Ricciardo into the pits.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc deliver a thrilling finish

The new regulations were designed to make following easier and to encourage more overtakes. What we’ve gotten this season as a result is thrilling battles at the front.

Verstappen and Leclerc repeated their back-and-forth from Bahrain with the Red Bull getting the edge this time.

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: F1 race results

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
  2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – Fastest lap
  3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
  4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
  5. George Russell (Mercedes)
  6. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
  7. Lando Norris (McLaren)
  8. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
  9. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
  10. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
  11. Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo)
  12. Niko Hulkenberg (Aston Martin)
  13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
  14. Alexander Albon (Williams) – DNF
  15. Valterri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) – DNF
  16. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) – DNF
  17. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) – DNF
  18. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) – DNF
  19. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) – DNS