GP Saudi Arabia: times, standings, circuit info, weather forecast

Times Grand Prix Saudi Arabia

As in Bahrain, qualifying and racing takes place in the dark in Saudi Arabia. As a result, here in the Netherlands you will be sitting in front of the tube a little later than you might be used to if you want to follow the action live. Qualifying and the race both start at 6 pm Dutch time. Because of the timing, the second free practice session is the most representative of qualifying and race conditions.

Championship standings

There has only been one race, so the championship standings don’t say much yet. Still, there are some notable things. Max Verstappen has won the season opener for the first time in his career and is leading for the first time right at the start of the season. Last year he remained winless in Bahrain due to a failure, so quite a difference. Charles Leclerc is not yet in the top 10 for the same reason. Fernando Alonso’s third place is also striking. It will be exciting what the Spaniard can achieve this year, but he seems to have good credentials to continue to participate in the top.

We see Red Bull proudly leading the teams, because with a 1-2 finish you rake in quite a few points. Aston Martin in second place looks special. The last time that team was second in the championship was in 2014 when it was still Force India. That was a while ago. It seems that Ferrari and Mercedes mainly have their hands full with Aston Martin and that Red Bull is still a bridge too far.

Circuit

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is still quite new and is only on the calendar for the third time. The first time was at the end of 2021 and then Formula 1 raced there again at the beginning of last year. It is quite a spectacular circuit, due to the many successive high-speed corners with only walls next to it. A mistake on this circuit can cost you dearly. Very expensive, as Mick Schumacher found out last year. Max Verstappen also has an unpleasant memory of the wall on this track. In 2021 he was on possibly his best qualifying lap ever, until he hit the wall.

With an average speed of around 250 km/h, only Monza is a ‘faster circuit’. So it may not be a very long Grand Prix, although the past has proven that something happens quickly here that means that the race has to be stopped partly or even completely. The circuit is relatively long at 6.17 km and 50 laps are needed to reach a total race distance of over 308 km. Lewis Hamilton holds the fastest race lap; he drove around the track in 1:30.734 in the chaotic race in 2021. There is a good chance that lap record will stand, as the previous regulations cars were very fast in high-speed corners. Pole position was last year for Sergio Pérez with a time of 1:28.200. Max Verstappen won the race, starting from P4.

Weather forecast

Precipitation is rare in sweltering Jeddah, although a rocket can sometimes land near the circuit, as was shown during the first free practice last year. Let’s hope the incident doesn’t happen again. Last year there was extensive discussion on Friday into the night about whether or not to continue the race due to the unrest in the region.