High speed and scorching tarmac: the weather at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
One week after the Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula 1 remains in the Middle East for a second night race. After four heats, the battle for the championship is beginning to take shape. Track conditions and the heat have already played a key role in the performance of the single-seaters: some teams have lost ground, while others have made progress. This weekend sees the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where high temperatures are once again expected. Here's the full weather report.
For its fifth edition, this Grand Prix takes place on the fastest street circuit of the calendar, with an average speed of 254 km/h in qualifying. At 6.174 km long and run counter-clockwise, the layout features 27 turns, including several fast and blind ones. It offers numerous overtaking opportunities, particularly thanks to particularly demanding braking zones.
General situation
The Jeddah region, located on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, is currently experiencing typical weather for its desert climate, characterized by intense heat and a near absence of precipitation.
A vast anticyclone, centered north of Libya and extending widely from North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, dominates the weather situation. This configuration blocks the arrival of disturbances from the Mediterranean and maintains dry, hot, and very stable conditions over Saudi Arabia. In Jeddah, this results in a perfectly clear sky and very high temperatures. Solar radiation is also intense, with a UV index reaching extreme levels of 12.
Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19
During these two days, the sky will remain perfectly clear. A light breeze will blow from the north and northwest at speeds between 15 and 25 km/h, with gusts reaching 35 km/h in the late afternoon, especially during the free practice session No. 3 scheduled for Saturday. No risk of rain to report.
At 4:30 PM, when the cars hit the track, the heat will still be quite significant, with a maximum temperature around 30°C. What is truly noteworthy are the ground temperatures: the tarmac could exceed 55°C on Friday (FP1) and Saturday afternoon (FP3). On Thursday, an impressive peak of 61°C was measured on the track at 1:30 PM! In the evening, temperatures will gradually decrease, around 27°C to 28°C in the air and between 33°C and 36°C on the asphalt at 8 PM.
Given the weather conditions, the teams will focus the majority of their adjustments during Free Practice Session No. 2, scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. local time. Indeed, it is the only session run under conditions similar to those expected for the qualifiers and the race, also planned for the evening.
Sunday, April 20: The race
A new hot and fully sunny day is expected on Sunday, with not a single cloud on the horizon. The wind will be calm in the morning before picking up from the north, reaching up to 25 km/h by midday. Temperatures will remain high, with a UV index peaking at 12 between noon and 2 PM.
At the time of the race start, set for 8:00 PM local time (6:00 PM in Paris), the temperature will be 28°C in the air and 38°C on the track. Over the course of the 50 laps, temperatures will decrease slightly by one or two degrees, the wind will gradually calm, and the humidity level will reach 65%.
Statistically, Max Verstappen has won two of the four editions held here, while Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have each won one. It was also on this circuit that Oliver Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at the last minute last year, scoring his very first points in Formula 1.
