This weekend, the Formula 1 World Championship will return to the streets of Jeddah for the second race of 2023. The Saudi Arabia GP will take place on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Two-time defending champion Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings after winning in Bahrain, followed by teammate Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso.
The Circuit
Formula 1 makes its way to the fastest street circuit on the calendar this weekend for the Saudi Arabia GP. It’s a thrilling layout that’s bound to leave you breathless.
After a dramatic opening round in Bahrain, where Max Verstappen led home a 1-2 for Red Bull and Fernando Alonso came third for Aston Martin, attention turns to Jeddah. Several teams will be looking to respond, with Ferrari and Mercedes putting forward different challenges after Charles Leclerc suffered a drive shaft failure at the Bahrain GP, while Aston Martin are determined to get back to their winning ways.
The circuit is 5.41 kilometres long, with plenty of run-off areas for drivers to avoid accidents. It’s also one of the quickest street circuits on the calendar, with cars averaging around 250 km/h (160 mph).
Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh and will start on pole for his first win in the FIA World Drivers’ Championship since his move to Mercedes. George Russell, who made his debut in the race, is second with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completing the top three after making it through Q3.
There are a number of new additions to the 2023 Formula 1 calendar, including the Miami Grand Prix and Las Vegas. In fact, the entire FIA calendar will see a record-breaking 23 races this year, one more than last season.
The Track Layout
The 6.175-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the longest street circuit in F1 history, with cars averaging speeds of 250 km/h (160 mph). It was designed by Herman Tilke and built for Formula 1’s first ever Saudi Arabia GP in 2021.
Located on the waterfront corniche overlooking the Red Sea, the track is designed to be a mix of heart-stopping high-speed straights, hairpin turns and extremely tight corners. The track is a favourite of drivers for its thrilling, yet dangerous nature, and it has the highest average speed of any circuit on the calendar.
In addition to the fast-paced racing, Formula 1 also hosts a series of concerts over the race weekend in Jeddah. During its first two years, popular music stars like Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo and David Guetta performed. Swedish DJs Afrojack and Calvin Harris will also perform on the dedicated concert stage during the F1 qualifying session on Saturday night, while R3hab headlined the party after the race on Sunday.
There have been a number of changes made to the circuit since last year, with walls being modified around five corners and Turn 22 starting 10m later than previously. New kerbs, barriers and rumble strips have been installed as well to improve driver safety.
The sand blown in from the desert is an issue for teams, as it can change the grip level and wind direction significantly. It can also cause a lot of chaos during qualifying and the race, so it is important to be careful when driving on the circuit.
The 2023 Saudi Arabia GP will be held over the weekend of March 17-19, with qualifying taking place on Friday and Saturday before sunset and the race on Sunday under lights after dusk. It will be the first night race of the season, meaning drivers and teams won’t have to compete with the blazing sun during qualifying or the race itself.
The Schedule
The 2023 Formula 1 season is underway with one race under way – the opening round of the year at Bahrain’s Sakhir International Circuit in Saudi Arabia. The action is set to keep going over the course of nine months and the eagerly-awaited season will conclude in Abu Dhabi on November 26th, putting F1 on the map as a global sporting event.
The FIA has approved the calendar for the new season, which sees a record 23 Grand Prix races taking place. The Chinese Grand Prix is not scheduled to return but Qatar and Monaco remain, and a new circuit in Las Vegas has also been added to the list.
Max Verstappen leads the World Drivers’ Championship after a strong win in Bahrain, with teammate Sergio Perez second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third. A victory at Jeddah would put the Dutchman on a three-peat of world titles, and he has shown that he is a formidable racer on any track.
He will face stiff competition from the likes of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who has a long-standing record of winning at Jeddah, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The latter is still a strong contender for the title, having won at least two of the last three seasons, and will be in the hunt to make it five.
Jeddah’s Corniche Circuit will be the host of this weekend’s race, and it is the fastest street circuit in Formula 1. Its 27 turns set out over 6.175km should mean that there are plenty of opportunities for overtaking.
Qualifying
Qualifying is the first step in determining who will start on pole position for each race. The Saudi Arabia GP is the second round of the 2023 Formula 1 season and will take place on Sunday, 19 March at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Red Bull Racing has opened the season with a one-two win in Bahrain, led by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but Ferrari and Mercedes were both struggling during pre-season testing. Meanwhile, Aston Martin was a surprise hit for the new season with Fernando Alonso proving that he can still be competitive even at 41 years of age.
The World Motor Sport Council approved a calendar for the new season that included a record number of races. However, the Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled and F1 had to reduce the number of events from 24 to 23.
In 2023, the schedule includes the Bahrain Grand Prix in March, the Qatar Grand Prix in October, and a new Saturday night race in Las Vegas in November. The schedule also includes the return of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which was initially a stand-in event during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 before a contract was signed to keep it as part of the F1 calendar.
While the 2023 Formula 1 schedule is full of interesting stories to follow, qualifying is one of the most important parts of any race weekend. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up the key things you need to know before the start of the 2023 Saudi Arabia GP.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is currently fastest in the qualifying session, but he has to find over six tenths of a second to claim pole from teammate George Russell. Leclerc and Perez are both close behind. The battle for the front row is set to be a tight one, but it’s clear that both teams are determined to fight for pole.
The Race
The Formula 1 season returns this week for round two, the Saudi Arabia GP. The race will take place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 19th, with practice sessions and qualifying happening this weekend.
Last time out in Bahrain, Max Verstappen had the perfect start to the season as he strolled to victory. He is expected to be in the hunt for the win again, as the Jeddah Street Circuit should see an even closer battle this time around than last year.
There are a lot of big teams in the field this weekend, with Ferrari and Mercedes hoping to make a step forward after a disappointing first race. Red Bull are also in the mix, and they will want to improve on their start in the series.
Meanwhile, McLaren are one team that could cause some upset this weekend after they performed well in FP3 earlier in the week and were a strong contender in Q2 too. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been doing well in the opening sessions and have a chance to make it into Q3 at least.
Alonso is also in the hunt for a pole position after a good start but he has been given a five-second time penalty by the stewards, meaning he’ll drop down to P5. Leclerc and Stroll have both performed well this weekend and should be able to get into Q3 too.
