JAKARTA - The Formula 1 (F1) race will roll again this weekend. The riders will compete in speed in Jeddah, the city on the coast of the Red Sea.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosted the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix which became the second series race on the 2023 F1 calendar.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit offers a different challenge from the Bahrain International Circuit which opened the 2023 F1 season two weeks ago.
Jeddah is one of the fastest circuits on the F1 calendar, with an average speed rivaling Monza, Italy. Although this track is in the form of a highway circuit whose track edges are directly limited to iron fences and without gravels.
The track in Jeddah is coated with asphalt that is not as aggressive as Bahrain, which is very abrasive to tires. Therefore, the multi-pitstop strategy will be less effective.
Statistics show 10 drivers who finished leading in Jeddah last year used a single pitstop strategy with a combination of hard and medium tires.
In Bahrain, Red Bull started the 2023 season with a nearly perfect start after locking up two leading starting positions and finishing 1-2.
Surprisingly Aston Martin came out as the second best car after Red Bull. The pace of AMR23 was even able to beat Ferrari and Mercedes.
This is the third Saudi Arabian GP since the race debuted on the F1 calendar on December 5, 2021 and was again held on March 27, 2022.
Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 edition race for Mercedes from pole position, while Max Verstappen won in Jeddah last year from the fourth start.
Pole position Perez in 2022 is the first pole position for the Mexican rider in his F1 career. Perez has started from the front line seven times, most recently starting P2 in Bahrain two weeks ago.
Hamilton's victory in Jeddah 2021 is the 101rd top podium for the Briton in F1, and the most recent win for him.
Hamilton has never tasted victory again in 24 consecutive races since, which has been the longest for him.
The seven-time world champion, had never previously lived more than 10 races without a win. However, he has 10 times climbed the podium after his last win.
Only Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari teams have climbed the podium in Jeddah. Verstappen is the only rider to have climbed the podium every two races in Jeddah before, finishing P2 in 2021. He is also the only rider to finish on the podium from the starting position outside the top three.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has 27 bends, the most among other circuits on the calendar. However, there are only seven braking points on the track, according to FIA records reported via Antara, Thursday, March 16.
Track length: 6,174km
lap record: 1:30,734 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2021)
Race distance: 308.450km or 50 laps.
2022 Champion: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Podium 2022: #1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull), #2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), #3 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Fastest Lap2022: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 1:31,634
Pole position 2022: Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 1:28,200
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