Into The Unknown (again) Under An Arabian Night...
Formula 1 and Formula 2 are back- F1 after a week off following a brilliant but exhausting triple header, and F2 for the first time since September (way back in Russia).
Lewis Hamilton only closed in on Max Verstappen during the span of the triple header, winning in Brazil and Qatar, whilst the Dutchman won in Mexico. Heading to Saudi Arabia, the gap between them has narrowed to only 8 points, whilst Mercedes only hold a 5 point advantage over Red Bull in the team standings. Though the constructors’ championship will likely continue to Abu Dhabi in the final round, Max could win the drivers’ championship this weekend if the stars align for him:
If Max finishes P1 with the fastest lap…. … Hamilton has to finish P6 or lower
If Max finishes P1 without the fastest lap…. … Hamilton has to finish P7 or lower
If Max finishes P2 with the fastest lap… … Hamilton has to finish P10 or lower
If Max finishes P2 without the fastest lap… … Hamilton has to fail to score
However, Mercedes and Hamilton certainly head into the race weekend with much more momentum, having won the two previous races, one being at a brand new track in Qatar. With the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia also brand new, perhaps Mercedes will win again.
Though the triple header was a success for Mercedes, McLaren would say otherwise. Ferrari extended their lead over the British team in the battle for P3 with strong double points finishes in all three races. On the other hand, Lando Norris scored all of the 4 points McLaren earnt in Mexico, Brazil and Qatar. If McLaren want to claim P3 like the year prior, they will have to replicate a weekend like Italy.
The Finer Details…
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit will be the second longest track on the 2021 calendar after Spa, unsurprising with a whopping 27 turns. In total, a single lap is 6.174km and over 50 laps, the race distance will cover 308.45km.
Renowned circuit designer Tilke was chosen to design this track, and his ideas came together in simulations towards the end of the process. As done in Qatar, simulations are what we can use to predict lap times in qualifying and the race, and what most teams will have used to prepare for the weekend ahead. These have predicted a 1:27.9 second lap under qualifying conditions and a lap of 1:33.8 seconds during the race. With three DRS zones, this makes the track the fastest street circuit in the world. It’s also the second fastest track on this year’s calendar, with an average speed of 252.8 km/h, only slower than Monza.
Though the speed may be thrilling for the fans, the track will certainly test the fitness levels of the 20-driver grid. There are 27 turns, several of which are sweeping corners, but at Turn 13 is a hairpin which is banked at 12 degrees- a little bit steeper than Indianapolis and slightly shy of the famous corners at Zandvoort. This is estimated to have a pull of about 4.9G on the drivers.
With the sweeping corners and DRS zones, Mercedes’ straight line speed indicates this track will fall in their favour. However, this season has certainly been unpredictable.
The race will take place at night, meaning that alike to Qatar, FP2 will most likely have the most representative conditions. Floodlights will keep the track lit as the darkness reigns.
Quick Facts
The feature of Saudi Arabia on the 2021 calendar was first announced on the 5th November 2020.
The team at F1 initially used Google Earth to decide whether the suggestion of a race in Jeddah could become reality!
A Guinness World Record was broken by The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation- building the largest Formula One car out of Lego bricks. 504,242 bricks to be exact!
The circuit sweeps by the Red Sea, so there are beautiful coral reefs to the West.
When To Watch
Formula 1:
(FRIDAY) The teams and drivers will get their first taste of the track in FP1 16:30 - 17:30 local time (13:30 - 14:30 BST).
(FRIDAY) FP2 will be the team’s second session to collect that all-important data at 20:00 - 21:00 local time (17:00 - 18:00 BST).
(SATURDAY) FP3 will kick off Saturday at 17:00 - 18:00 local time (14:00 - 15:00 BST).
(SATURDAY) Qualifying will finish off Saturday at 20:00 - 21:00 local time (17:00 - 18:00 BST).
(SUNDAY) Mercedes and Red Bull will lock horns on track at 20:30 local time (17:30 BST).
Formula 2:
(FRIDAY) The first bit of F2 action since September commences with Free Practice at 13:45 - 14:30 local time (10:45 - 11:30 BST).
(FRIDAY) Qualifying will set the grid and starts at 18:20 - 18:50 local time (15:20 - 15:50 BST).
(SATURDAY) The first of two sprint races starts at 15:30 - 16:15 local time (12:30 - 13:15 BST).
(SATURDAY) Sprint race no. 2 follows at 21:40 - 22:25 local time (18:40 - 19:25 BST).
(SUNDAY) The F2 weekend will conclude at 17:25 - 18:25 local time (14:25 - 15:25).
(All times collected and calculated from the official Formula 1 website)
(Information for this post uses previous race data collected from the internet and official sources. No copyright intended)
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