Polesitter Perez lost the lead into the first corner to Fernando Alonso, with Max Verstappen battling back from 15th on the grid after suffering a driveshaft failure in qualifying.
The Mexican hauled in Alonso to regain the lead early on, and managed a safety car period and a charging Verstappen to secure his fifth F1 career win in another Red Bull domination.
Verstappen had to settle for second place in his comeback drive but did grab the fastest lap bonus point on the final lap to keep hold of the drivers’ championship lead.
PLUS: How Perez kept Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian GP surge at bay
But further drama followed when Alonso crossed the line in third, only to be given a post-race penalty after the podium ceremony to demote him to fourth, until an Aston Martin review saw the FIA drop the penalty and reinstate the Spaniard to the rostrum.
Further back, Mercedes eventually ended fourth and fifth with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively, while it was another painful race for Ferrari.
Podcast host Martyn Lee is joined by Kevin Turner, Alex Kalinauckas and Filip Cleeren to analyse the biggest talking points from F1's race under the lights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or via all good audio platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
