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Tyres NorthamptonThe fourth edition of racing around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the fastest street track in F1, will be a litmus test of the running order as 2024's cars face an entirely new challenge after weeks in Bahrain.
Max Verstappen provided Christian Horner a brief moment of respite in the season-opening race by strolling to victory, but Red Bull is in an off-track crisis. Horner's investigation is overshadowing his team's success, as the beleaguered Team Principal came under fire from Verstappen's father, Jos, earlier this week, who claimed the team are at risk of ripping apart.
It's unlikely that the drama is enough to disrupt the Milton Keynes team at this early stage of the year. However, the longer the problems in the garage exist, the better it is for the other nine teams to close in on the champions. Ferrari was the closest competitor in Bahrain, especially with Carlos Sainz's performance, and they'll hope to continue their march in Jeddah.
Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin were just behind, too, and the entire 20-car grid had a single second covering every driver in Q1 last week. Simply put, despite Verstappen's easy victory, the class of 2024 is very closely matched. Saudi Arabia's high-speed circuit is a distinctly different beast from Bahrain's, and the order might further tighten.
It's one-stop softer for the Pirelli tyres this week, and the drivers will have C2, C3, and C4 options for Saudi Arabia. The smooth surface and high speeds are in sharp contrast to Bahrain's abrasive, heavy-braking track, and Pirelli has changed its selection accordingly.
The circuit is the second-longest in F1, second only to Spa-Francorchamps, and the 6.174 km track has some 27 corners for the drivers to tackle. The flowing turns seem relentless, and the tyres must provide plenty of grip for the drivers to find the maximum lap times.
Verstappen had a pit stop in his pocket over his nearest rival, teammate Sergio Perez, last time out. It's not unthinkable that the Dutch driver will retain that advantage in Saudi Arabia, but DRS is powerful down the long straights, and the leader won't have that advantage.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had to limp their overheating Mercedes cars in Round 1, so the Silver Arrows will hope to get on top of their teething problems on Saturday. Sainz was the man on a mission in Bahrain after failing to secure a contract with Ferrari for 2025, and Charles Leclerc will seek to assert his Maranello dominance. Should any of these reach the podium, they'll take that as a sign of progress to hunt down Red Bull.
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It's another Saturday race in Saudi Arabia, but lights out will come later at 5 PM for the U.K. audience.
Qualifying – On air: 4:10 PM, Session start: 5 PM Saturday 8th March
Race – On air: 3:30 PM, Session start: 5 PM Sunday 9th March
Qualifying – Highlights: 8:30 PM Saturday 8th March
Race – Highlights: 9:50 PM Sunday 9th March
Qualifying/Race – Highs of 31°C in the daytime for the race, but the air will cool down to 27°C during the 50-lap race, with no chance of rain.