From Sakhir to Jeddah, all in less than a week. Formula 1 starts off strong and after having archived the Bahrain Grand Prix, it immediately returns to the track to compete in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, scheduled for 7 to 9 March.
Attention, also in this case it will be a weekend “earlier” by one day than usual: it will start on Thursday with the first two rounds of free practice, while on Saturday there will be Free Practice 3 and Qualifying which will define the starting grid. For the second time in a row the race will be held on Saturday, at 6pm Italian time.
Everyone is still chasing Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The winning duo beat Sakhir with a brace, but seemed less dominant than last season. Jeddah is a track that offers a less abrasive asphalt, so rivals could leverage this aspect to further reduce the distances in the race from the RB20s and try the first trick of the 2024 season.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Ferrari is the first contender in this sense, considering the first podium of the season and the first two positions behind the Red Bulls obtained in Bahrain. Second force, yes, but it will have to confirm itself as such and then go after the already launched RB20 born from the genius of Adrian Newey and his design staff.
Mercedes and McLaren are instead looking for redemption. Although both teams scored in the points on their first outing of the season, the expectations for them were much higher, especially in the race. The Woking team will find a track with many fast corners, the ones that were the bread and butter for the MCL60s in the second part of 2023. Will they be able to continue on that path?
Two other teams that will certainly not be able to sit on their laurels – which were missing in Bahrain – are Aston Martin and Racing Bulls. Both started with very different ambitions, they struggled in Sakhir. The team directed by Mike Krack took only 3 points against the podium achieved in 2023. The one based in Faenza, however, thought they could easily be in the points zone, but instead found themselves battling in the center group with Sauber, that was more surprising than expected.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
GP Saudi Arabia: the numbers from Jeddah
First edition of the Grand Prix: 2021
Number of race laps: 50
Circuit length: 6,174 meters
Overall race distance: 308.45 kilometers
Last winner: Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing, 2023)
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, and Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
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Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Saudi Arabia GP: TV times (Italian time)
Sky schedule (Live)
Thursday 7 March
Free Practice 1: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Free Practice 2: 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Friday 8 March
Free Practice 3: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Qualifying: 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Saturday 9 March
Race: 6pm
TV8 schedule (deferred)
Friday 8 March
Qualifying: 10pm
Saturday 9 March
Race: 9pm
Motorsport.com schedule (LIVE LIVE)
Thursday 7 March
Free Practice 1: 2.00pm – 3.30pm
Free Practice 2: 5.30pm – 7.00pm
Friday 8 March
Free Practice 3: 2.00pm – 3.30pm
Qualifying: 5.30pm – 7.00pm
Saturday 9 March
Race: 5.30pm
#Sky #TV8 #times #Saudi #Arabian
