[Official] Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 2 of 24

[Born Racer]

The Jeddah street circuit made an impact in 2021 when it became hosted its first Grand Prix and became the fourth track to stage a full F1 night race after Marina Bay, Sakhir and Losail. It wasn't for the novelty value of nocturnal racing, though - the somewhat scary voyage around its 27 corners was paired with a sensational turn of events as the championship competition between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen intensified in the penultimate round of the season.

The Grand Prix returned just four months later in the 2022 season, with barriers moved back and rounded in many places and the circuit widened on the exit of the final turn. However, the thrill remained and although many of the high speed corners are mere kinks, it is quite easy to slip up or trip up over someone, and the barriers are never far away.

The history

Saudi Arabia has only a minor motorsports history so far, although in the late 1970s, the late Sir Frank Williams secured Saudi sponsorship. The Race of Champions took place in Saudi Arabia in 2018, while the Diriyah ePrix Formula E race has been run on the Riyadh Street Circuit, and Extreme E off-road racing held.

In 2019, it was announced that a Qiddiya motorsport complex would be developed for the entertainment hub in Riyadh, and it has been suggested that a Grand Prix will be staged there at some point. In the meantime, Jeddah stepped forward to host 2021's inaugural event. Situated on the Corniche, a coastal area by the Red Sea, the track comprises a whopping 27 bends, staged close to the waterfront.

Qualifying featured the customary battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton set provisional pole and Verstappen looked to be on an even better one, before locking up at Turn 27 and crashing. Hamilton duly took pole from Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen.

Pérez locked up and came close to hitting Verstappen at Turn 1, before Leclerc then challenged the Red Bull leader on Lap 1, although he couldn't make it stick, while the Mercedes led away in perfect formation. On Lap 10, Mick Schumacher crashed the Haas, leading to the deployment of the safety car. Verstappen complained on the radio that Hamilton was running too slowly. Then, both Mercedes pitted. A red flag shortly followed, during which time Verstappen changed tyres. Verstappen challenged Hamilton round the outside into Turn 1 on the Lap 15 restart, but without space, went across the run off and cut ahead anyway. Meanwhile, Pérez got caught out in a sandwich and was taken out, among others.

Race Director Michael Masi then offered Red Bull the chance to restart with Verstappen behind Hamilton and Ocon, who would be on pole. This therefore seemingly gave them the chance to get away without a penalty for the Turn 1 incident. The race started for the third time, now on Lap 17, and this time Hamilton was sandwiched by Ocon on the outside and Verstappen on the inside, the latter of whom took the lead.

Once past the Alpine driver, Hamilton set about homing in on his adversary and on Lap 37, endeavouring to sweep around the outside into Turn 1, he was rebuked by Max, who left him to run wide. Hamilton called him crazy. Max's engineer instructed him to award the place back, after which point he slowed down and Hamilton ran into the back of him.

On Lap 42, Verstappen attempted to finish off letting Hamilton past, the Mercedes driver successfully getting ahead, before then retaking the lead. We then learned that Max had a 5-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Hamilton made an overtake on Lap 43 to finally seal the move, with Verstappen coming home 2nd, while Bottas nipped past Ocon to steal the final podium spot at the finish line. Verstappen and Hamilton entered the final, infamous round at Abu Dhabi equal on points.

In March 2022, Pérez took pole and held the lead into the first lap, followed through by Leclerc. Alpine teammates Alonso and Ocon had a close moment when the latter edged closer to the wall on the start-finish staight on Lap 5 and Alonso appeared to be making a move there before he had to take avoiding action. He soon got by cleanly on the outside around Turn 1.

Leclerc was called into the pits and Pérez stopped to cover him, but the Ferrari driver didn't enter and Pérez was extra unlucky to have been duped, as a safety car followed just after his stop after Nicholas Latifi bashed the wall. Both Ferraris and Verstappen were among the many to pit during the SC and switch from mediums to hards, and Verstappen ended up being in line to chase Leclerc on the restart. Meanwhile, Pérez was deemed to have not given Sainz room as the Ferrari emerged from his stop and was forced to give the place up.

On Lap 42 of 50, Verstappen made it past Leclerc, but as Leclerc got the DRS, he was able to repass as they entered Lap 43. The world champion held back as they neared Lap 47 and waited for the pass to get DRS and made the pass, taking first place, which he held to the finish, followed by Leclerc and then Sainz.

Last year, Pérez took pole again, with Alonso alongside him on the grid in the Aston Martin. The double world champion didn't line the car up correctly on the grid, but also took the lead from Pérez on the opening lap, later receiving a five-second penalty. After three laps, Pérez was through anyway, and Verstappen was busy making his way through the field after starting down in 15th due to a driveshaft failure in Q2.

A safety car after Stroll stopped out on track on Lap 17 precipitated a round of pit stops. Alonso was one of those drivers to pit and he was later found to have had his car 'worked on' during the pit stop, as mechanics touched the car while he was serving his penalty. Despite ending up finishing in 3rd place, he was disqualified and later reinstated in his position, with a rules clarification made about what constitutes touching the car, with claims also made that previous precedents didn't allow for this disqualification. This is the event which has provoked the current investigation for FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, as it is said he was behind pushing for Alonso get his place back.

Meanwhile, Verstappen managed to make up ground and end up 2nd, with Pérez winning the Grand Prix by five seconds.

This looks like being a one-stop race, with drivers waiting for a safety car, but also watching out for the moment someone might undercut them.


Trivia

In the three events to have been held so far, Sergio Pérez has taken the most pole positions, with a first place in qualifying in the last two years.

He only converted it to victory in 2023, though, the other wins being shared between Lewis Hamilton (2021) and Max Verstappen (2022). This means that Red Bull have more wins than any other team.

There has been a safety car in every Grand Prix.

There has been a VSC in two of the three Grands Prix.

It has been a bit of a race of attrition so far, with 15 finishers in Year 1, 14 in Year 2 (although Mick Schumacher didn't start after his qualifying accident) and 18 last year.

By winning in Bahrain, Verstappen has now won eight races in a row and made this the third time someone has won so many consecutive Grands Prix. He was also responsible for one of these three streaks last year (ten Grands Prix).

Bahrain was the first Bahrain Grand Prix where a driver led every lap.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso both became the first drivers to have completed 19,000 Grand Prix laps.

By finishing in the points in Bahrain, Hamilton also set a new record - most consecutive point-scoring seasons - 18.

Alonso became the first driver to score a point in 20 seasons.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was also the first such race to have no VSCs or safety cars since 2016.

It was also the first time that everyone has ever finished the first Grand Prix of an F1 season

The track




Other information

Circuit length: 6.174km
Number of laps: 50
Race distance: 308.45km
Race lap record: 1:30.734 (Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes - 2021)
Dry weather tyre compounds: C2, C3 & C4
First Grand Prix at this circuit: 2021
First Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: 2021

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