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- GPblog.com
The Formula 1 teams are ready to take to the track again after an instructive first free practice session. Indeed, they are preparing for the second practice of the day, where it will once again be interesting how the top teams do.
LIVEBLOG | Second free practice GP Saudi Arabia
Ferrari will face high expectations this weekend. Last week in Bahrain, the Italian racing team not only managed to take victory with Charles Leclerc, but also to secure second place with Carlos Sainz. The team hopes to score many points again in Saudi Arabia.
However, the leader in the world championship will again face competition from Red Bull Racing. During the Bahrain GP the Austrians already showed that they want to compete for the world title again this season, although both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had to retire early due to fuel supply problems. In Saudi Arabia, Red Bull hopes to put that right.
During the second free practice session it will be interesting to see which teams are able to perform behind them. Mercedes seems to be the third team in the driver field, but Haas, Alfa Romeo and Alpine also made a good impression in Bahrain. It therefore promises to be an exciting battle.
The circuit
The race in Saudi Arabia will be held on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The goal of the organisation was to have the fastest street circuit on the calendar, finding a mix between Monaco and Baku. The circuit has very tight tight corners, but the speed never drops to very low speeds due to the angle of the corners. In a simulation, the circuit proved to be the fastest on the F1 calendar, with an average speed of 250 kilometers per hour.
The circuit, like so many circuits on the F1 calendar, was designed by Hermann Tilke. F1's in-house architect was brought in again to design and came up with the street circuit that is 6,174 metres long and has 27 turns. The circuit is lined with floodlights, so the drivers race in the dark.
Nevertheless, Tilke's design was also criticised, as the combination of high speed, blind corners and a narrow track created a particularly high risk of huge crashes. In 2021 the damage was not too bad, but there were some moments when things could have turned out differently. It remains to be seen whether the planned changes will improve on this.