Sergio Perez holds off Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to win Saudi Arabian GP

Sergio Perez held off Max Verstappen to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Red Bull’s dominant start to the new season continued in Jeddah.

Perez crossed the line 5.3 seconds clear of team-mate Verstappen, who fought back from 15th after he limped out of qualifying with a driveshaft failure.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso took the final spot on the podium, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth respectively for Mercedes.

Red Bull are on another planet this season, and their crushing one-two finish – their second in as many races – will be a major cause of concern for Formula One bosses as it embarks on a record 23-round calendar.

Russell said after the season-opening race in Bahrain a fortnight ago that he expects Red Bull to win every race this year, and their rapid form here on the Red Sea has done little to dispel the British driver’s chilling prediction.

Reliability looks to be their only flaw, with Verstappen complaining about a possible driveshaft problem in the latter stages of Sunday’s race, only 24 hours after he broke down in qualifying.

But the Dutchman and his victorious team-mate still held a gigantic one-second-a-lap advantage over their rivals. Alonso finished 20.7 seconds behind Perez, who eased off in the closing stages.

Alonso, the 41-year-old Spaniard who is enjoying a remarkable resurgence with Aston Martin, provided some excitement in the opening moments when he dived underneath pole-sitter on the run down to the opening bend.

But Alonso’s chances of taking his first victory in a decade were dealt a significant blow when he was handed a five-second penalty for starting out of position. Perez then breezed past Alonso on lap four to take the lead.

Hamilton started seventh and was the