The second round of the Formula 1 championship moves 1000 miles west to Jeddah, where a potentially challenging race weekend awaits. The Bahrain Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez claim a dominant one-two finish for Red Bull, marking a successful start to the championship. The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix happening in Jeddah Corniche Circuit offers a chance to see the cars run in a low downforce configuration, with different circuit characteristics from Bahrain.
As expected in Saudi Arabia, the weather is set to be dry and hot, with daytime temperatures reaching around 30 degrees Celsius. The first practice session (FP1) on Friday will start at 1630 local time, with an air temperature of 30 degrees and 55% humidity.
Moreover, the second practice session (FP2), which will be more representative of the weather conditions for Sunday’s Grand Prix, will have a temperature drop of approximately five degrees but an increase in humidity to 70%.
On Saturday, FP3 will begin at 1630 local time, with an air temperature of 31 degrees awaiting the drivers for the final hour ahead of qualifying. Temperatures will cool off to around 22 degrees Celsius for the crucial qualifying session, which starts at 2000 local time. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will begin at the same time on Sunday, with air temperatures of around 20 degrees in the evening and a less than 1% chance of rainfall.
The Corniche Circuit in Jeddah may experience gusty winds over the three days of action, with gusts of up to 50km/h expected. This could create some challenging moments for the drivers in their low-downforce configurations if the gusts hit at the wrong time. While Verstappen aims to secure another victory after winning the Bahrain GP, it remains to be seen if Ferrari and Mercedes can make a comeback on a track with different requirements. Additionally, Aston Martin seeks to maintain their progress and achieve another podium finish, following Fernando Alonso’s success.
