After the first round of the season in Bahrain, F1 is packing its bags in Jeddah for the third Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in the history of the premier class. The Corniche circuit is still used for this second race of the season.
The Grand Prix always takes place at night, and therefore in an urban setting, with the second fastest track in the championship. Nyck de Vries, Logan Sargeant and Oscar Piastri will discover this track, while Nico Hülkenberg had already raced there last year for Aston Martin F1.
The route
Hermann Tilke and his firm drew a very quick route on the Jeddah Corniche. It will indeed be the second fastest circuit on the calendar behind Monza. The first sector is made up of medium and fast corners, with some clearances which could however pose a problem at the level of the track limits.
The second sector consists of a banked bend and a first fast enfilade between the walls. The photos of Jeddah suggest that a majority of SAFER barriers were installed in these long sequences.
Two slightly tighter turns – which will surely be negotiated around 250 to 270 km/h – are present in the middle of other turns at full speed, before arriving on the ledge, around the lagoon.
This will be the second DRS zone, the first being located in the previous rapid sequence. The passage around the lagoon will be a long curve to the left at full speed, with the DRS, before a last tight bend.
Some modifications took place between December and this month of March, in order to correct certain specific points of the route, in particular in terms of safety and visibility. Grand Prix promoters detailed the changes to the Jeddah circuit.
Forces present
We obviously expect Red Bull at the top this weekend, after Bahrain’s show of force. Nevertheless, Ferrari was already strong last year in Jeddah, and Charles Leclerc could once again be a worthy opponent against Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
The battle to be third on the grid could turn to Aston Martin’s advantage against Mercedes, and Fernando Alonso could once again play for the podium, since the gaps behind Ferrari will surely be tighter.
In the peloton, we should see an Alpine F1 team in better shape than in Bahrain, as it was already the case last year. The French team could even be close to Mercedes and clearly ahead of Alfa Romeo and Williams.
Bahrain Grand Prix timetable
This start to the season continues to take place at the end of the day, and at home, the race and qualifying will therefore take place at 6 p.m., two hours later than in Bahrain.
– Friday, March 17
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Free practice 1
6:00-7:00 p.m.: Free practice 2
– Saturday March 18
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Free practice 3
18h00-19h00 : Qualifications
– Sunday March 19
18h00-20h00 : Course
The complete winners of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
Year | Circuit | Winner | Crew | Engine |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Jeddah | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Mercedes |
2022 | Jeddah | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Honda |
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