Formula One world champion Max Verstappen goes into this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix keen to get over Red Bull's "double-DNF" hangover and get his title defence going after starting the season with a blank in Bahrain.
Max Verstappen in Bahrain Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Dutchman was on course to finish second at the Sakhir season opener after engaging in a race-long battle with Ferrari's winner Charles Leclerc.
But his car expired three laps from the end with Mexican team mate Sergio Perez following him into retirement on the final lap.
Red Bull identified a fuel system problem as the cause but have not given details about an issue that handed them their first double non-finish (DNF) since their home 2020 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
"Last weekend was a tough one for all of us to take, we win and lose as a team and we'll come back stronger this week," said 24-year-old Verstappen.
"We have a good package and we were competitive in Bahrain, so there are positives to take from the weekend, and we have a very long season ahead."
Verstappen will also want to banish the memory of last year's race around Jeddah's fast and unforgiving street circuit.
The Dutchman crashed in qualifying and finished a chaotic race second behind Briton Lewis Hamilton after another controversial collision between the pair.
Hamilton is unlikely to be caught in such a tussle this year, however, with once-dominant Mercedes still wrestling with 2022's rules overhaul.
The constructors' champions were only third fastest in Bahrain behind Ferrari and Red Bull, although Hamilton still salvaged third thanks to the retirement of the Red Bulls.
"We know the W13 has potential," said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
"We need to continue learning, find out how to unlock it, and maximise our opportunities for points in the meantime."
Resurgent Ferrari, meanwhile, will be out to prove that their season-opening one-two in Bahrain, ending a 45-race winless streak, was no fluke.
"I think we should not forget that they (Red Bull) are still the favourites," team boss Mattia Binotto said after Bahrain.
"Jeddah in a week's time can be a completely different picture."
The Red Sea port city's 6.1km Corniche layout is made up mainly of high-speed sweeps hemmed in by blind corners and flat-out blasts along the city's waterfront.
Saudi Arabian grand prix Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Organisers have made changes to give drivers a better line of sight around the corners after safety concerns last year.
Sunday's race will also be important for British team Aston Martin who are sponsored by Saudi energy company Aramco.
The team's four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel missed the Bahrain opener after testing positive for COVID-19 and remains doubtful for the weekend.
The German, replaced by compatriot Nico Hulkenberg in Bahrain, has yet to return a negative test to fly to Saudi Arabia. The team will make a decision on their driver line-up on Friday.
Statistics for Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah:
Lap distance: 6.174km. Total distance: 308.450km (50 laps)
2021 winner: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes
2021 pole: One minute 27.511 seconds (Hamilton)
2021 fastest race lap: 1:30.734 seconds (Hamilton, 2021)
Start time: 1800 GMT (2000 local)
SAUDI ARABIA
The night race in Jeddah made its debut on the calendar last December.
The 27-turn Corniche circuit is the second longest on the calendar, some 800m shorter than Belgium's Spa, and the fastest street circuit. Track widening at the final turn 27 could make the lap even quicker.
The circuit runs along the shores of the Red Sea.
Three drivers led last year's race: Hamilton, Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Alpine's Esteban Ocon.
RACE WINS
Hamilton has a record 103 career victories from 289 starts, the most recent being in Saudi Arabia last year.
Ferrari have won 239 races since 1950, McLaren 183, Mercedes 124, Williams 114 and Red Bull 75.
Ferrari ended a winless run of 45 races with victory in Bahrain last Sunday, their first since 2019.
POLE POSITION
Hamilton has a record 103 career poles, the most recent coming in Saudi Arabia last year.
POINTS
Kevin Magnussen scored more points (10) for Haas in Bahrain than the team had managed in the previous two seasons (three).
Valtter Bottas's sixth place for Alfa Romeo was that team's best result since 2019.
Neither Red Bull reached the finish in Bahrain, the first double retirement for the team since Austria in 2020.
Hamilton is 15 points clear of Verstappen, a bigger margin than he enjoyed at any point last year.
MILESTONE
Mercedes are chasing their 125th win in Formula One.
Hamilton's third place in the Bahrain opener means the seven times world champion has stood on the podium in every season he has started since 2007 -- 16 years in a row and a record for the sport, one more than Michael Schumacher managed.
Hamilton is the first driver to score points in 250 races. Schumacher, next on the list, scored in 221.
Jeddah will be Hamilton's 180th race for Mercedes, a record for a driver with a single team.
Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou became the first Chinese driver to race and score a point in Formula One. He is also the 66th rookie to score on his debut.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is the first driver from Monaco to lead the championship.
-Reuters
