Presentation of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

This 2024 Formula 1 season is off to a flying start. With two Grand Prix races in two consecutive weekends, the drivers and teams have very little time to address any issues encountered during the first race. There is no doubt that Red Bull is dominating, at least in terms of performance. Whether it’s speed, race pace, tire management, or pit stops, the Austrian team is already far ahead and the competition should be worried for the rest of the season.

Three already memorable editions

Since its arrival on the F1 calendar in 2021, the circuit located on the shores of the Red Sea has delivered three spectacular races with suspense, accidents, and dramatic final laps. When F1 first visited Saudi Arabia two years and three months ago, the Grand Prix was positioned in the second-to-last spot on the calendar of a season where the title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton was at its peak.

After 50 laps of insane intensity, whether on the track, in the garages, or in the race control offices, it was the Mercedes of the seven-time world champion that emerged victorious, the British driver’s 103rd and latest victory to date. This first race in Saudi Arabia is already making history in Formula 1.

The two following editions, while not reaching the intensity of 2021, still offered interesting races and battles for the top positions. In 2022, as the Grand Prix was now positioned in second place on the calendar, we remember the battle between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, during which neither of them wanted to be in the lead at the final turn to avoid their opponent’s DRS on the following straight.

To prevent this kind of situation from happening again, the organizers decided, starting from 2023, to move this famous DRS detection line to the beginning of the straight. In this edition, Sergio Pérez confirmed his status as a specialist in street circuits. After Baku, Monaco, and Singapore, he secured another victory between the barriers. But what we remember most is the incredible comeback of his teammate, who qualified 15th and finished 2nd under the checkered flag.

Jeddah, a fast, spectacular, and… dangerous circuit

Jeddah shares with Bahrain, Singapore, Las Vegas, and Qatar the hosting of a Grand Prix entirely disputed at night. Free practices 1 and 3, which take place in the late afternoon at sunset, should therefore not provide major insights to the teams. On the other hand, the practice session held on Thursday evening will certainly be very lively with a lot of people on track.

The drivers will take advantage of these three hours to tame the circuit located north of the capital of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Comprising of 27 turns, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit stretches over 6,174 kilometers, making it the 3rd longest in the championship behind Spa and Las Vegas. By looking at the layout from afar, one could roughly say that it consists of two very fast sections connected on one side by a long curve and on the other, by a hairpin, which is reminiscent of the old AVUS circuit in Berlin. In reality, the three sectors of this circuit are more selective than that.

The first part is first marked by a heavy braking at the end of the start/finish straight for the chicane of turns 1, 2 and 3. This is followed by a short straight before braking for turn 4, which sets up three fast consecutive corners with several changes of direction. The drivers take these corners almost flat out before tackling the long left-hand curve of turn 13 leading them to the second part of the circuit.

This one is a true feat of bravery until the final pin of turn 27. Apart from turns 16 and 22, drivers will not touch the brakes and will weave between the barriers at crazy speeds for an urban circuit. Be careful of the traps, especially since several turns are blind corners. Turn 16 has already seen several drivers make mistakes. Those who use the inside curbing too aggressively will be punished by the wall on the other side of the track.

The end of the straight, before the hairpin, is a long flat-out section that slightly turns to the left. This portion was where Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided during the famous 2021 edition of this Grand Prix.

Red Bull emerges as the favorite.

After the demonstration in Bahrain, it’s hard not to consider Red Bull as the favorite for the fourth edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Austrian team is coming off two pole positions and two victories, including a double win in Jeddah. However, the unique nature of the circuit and its very different characteristics from the one in Sakhir could potentially level the performances between the teams. Often quick on the shores of the Red Sea, Ferrari should be the main rivals for Milton Keynes.

If Mercedes has found the solution to its overheating problems encountered in Bahrain, we could see Lewis Hamilton and George Russell fighting for the podium. McLaren and Aston Martin should follow for the top positions, with Fernando Alonso also coming off a podium finish in the Saudi Arabian night race.

Behind these five teams, we should find the Racing Bulls fighting with Sauber, Williams, and why not Haas, whose race pace was satisfactory in Bahrain. Finally, Alpine may still struggle to keep up with the pace, but the unique nature of the Jeddah circuit and its ability to offer spectacular races should mix things up and surprises should not be ruled out.