Diez: Is Formula 1 looking at a year of the same?

Based on the results of the Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain, the 2024 season looks to be a continuation of 2023. Red Bull finished 1-2 with pole sitter Max Verstappen winning by 22 seconds over teammate Sergio Perez, who was 3 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz’s third-place Ferrari. It was an important result for Sainz, who will surrender his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton in 2025 and is auditioning for a new job. His teammate Charles Leclerc was fourth, and George Russell fifth for Mercedes, with teammate Hamilton in seventh. McLarens and Aston Martins rounded out top 10.

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Can we expect more of the same Saturday morning as the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix airs at  9 a.m. on ESPN2? It’s another night race, the fourth annual event on the Jeddah Corniche street circuit. The drivers will negotiate 50 laps on the high-speed 3.863-mile course featuring  27 turns and three DRS zones. Perez won last year, Verstappen in 2022, and Hamilton in 2021.

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Last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race in Las Vegas was the third race of the season, and the third winner locked into the playoffs. Kyle Larson notched the 10th win at the venue for  Hendrick Motorsports, using his considerable race craft to hold off a charging Tyler Reddick in the closing laps. It was Larson’s third win at Las Vegas and his second in a row there. Ryan Blaney finished third, Ross Chastain fourth, and Ty Gibbs fifth.

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Chevy driver Larson leads in the point standings with 118, laps led (205), and stage wins (2). Blaney is second with 110 points for Ford, and Toyota pilot Martin Truex Jr. sits third with 104 points, indicating parity among manufacturers so far this season. This weekend the Xfinity and NASCAR Cup series will race at the Phoenix flat one-mile oval. Nine active drivers have won at Phoenix. Joey Logano leads with three wins while Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have two victories apiece. One-time Phoenix winners are Chastain and Willam Byron in 2023, Chase Briscoe in 2022, and Larson and Martin Truex Jr. in 2021. But no one matches Kevin Harvick, who conquered Phoenix nine times from 2006 to 2018, and who will be commentating on the race from the Fox broadcast booth Sunday. Xfinity cars qualify at 10 a.m. Saturday on FS2, Cup drivers qualify at 11:10 a.m. on FS1, and the Xfinity race is at 1:30 on FS1. Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 airs on Fox at 12:30 p.m.

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This weekend also marks the NTT IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla. There are 27 entries listed, including five rookies. They will qualify Saturday, and race Sunday on a 1.8-mile, 14-turn combination street/airport course. Marcus Ericsson is the defending winner. He has switched from Chip Ganassi Racing to Andretti Global and posted the fastest time at last week’s Sebring test. Ericsson is among six active drivers to have won at St. Pete. Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power have each won twice, and one-time winners are Scott McLaughlin, Colton Herta, and Graham Rahal. Helio Castroneves has won the St. Petersburg race four times but is only running the Indy 500 this season. Saturday’s qualifying airs on Peacock at 11 a.m. and NBC will broadcast the race at 9 a.m.

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In other racing news, an independent investigation has cleared Red Bull principal Christian Horner of inappropriate conduct, although other teams have requested further transparency. And Jos Verstappen, father of Red Bull driver Max, has reportedly been in talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Is Max contemplating a move to take over Hamilton’s vacated seat in 2025? Stay tuned.

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Programming note: Saturday times are PST; with the time change, Sunday’s times are PDT.