What time is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025: Preview, weather and timings for Jeddah

Oscar Piastri took his second win of the campaign at the Bahrain Grand Prix last time out, with George Russell and Lando Norris rounding out the podium, while Japanese Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen could only take P6 as Red Bull struggled mightily.

This preview will detail what time the action will be taking place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, along with the conditions that will be seen in the Middle East for the race weekend.

On the first day of action in Jeddah, it was McLaren who set the tone, continuing their fine start to 2025 as they search for their fourth win in five races.

Lando Norris finished just +0.007 seconds behind an impressive Pierre Gasly in FP1, with the Alpine car pushing hard in the opening session to shake up the standings.

However, in FP2, the papaya-coloured team sent an ominous message, with Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri taking a one-two to show the rest of the grid what could be expected, with FP2 having representative conditions for qualifying and Sunday's Grand Prix.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix made its debut on the Formula 1 calendar in 2021, serving as the penultimate race of the season. However, since 2022, the race in Jeddah has taken place earlier in the year.

The street circuit is known for its spectacular qualifying laps, but overtaking is a challenge. Designed by Carsten Tilke, the son of renowned F1 architect Hermann Tilke, the circuit features a unique fast section that some drivers consider dangerous due to limited visibility of what is happening ahead.

Due to the high speeds on this street circuit, there is a significant risk of crashes, which means the likelihood of a safety car making an appearance will be high.

While Verstappen claimed an emphatic victory in Jeddah in 2024 with teammate Sergio Perez in second place, a year later, the situation is very different.

The four-time world champion has, on the whole, managed to limit the damage of a tricky RB21, and, despite a difficult few race weekends, is only eight points behind championship leader Norris.

However, after a catastrophic weekend in Bahrain, alarm bells are ringing at Red Bull, resulting in a crisis meeting in the desert.

McLaren have been the team to beat so far in 2025, and that looks like it will continue as the F1 circus rolls into Jeddah, with Piastri winning in Bahrain by over 15 seconds ahead of Russell and Norris.

The papaya-colured team dominate the constructors' standings too after four races, sitting 58 points clear of Mercedes in second place.

Like in Bahrain, the Grand Prix in Jeddah will be held under the floodlights, but teams and drivers can expect an even warmer weekend than the previous week around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Saturday will see FP3 and qualifying take place, where it will be even warmer than Friday, with temperatures of 32 degrees during the third free practice. A temperature drop to 30 degrees is expected for qualifying, but the wind will remain northwesterly, similar to the previous days.

The Grand Prix itself will take place on Sunday at 20:00 local time (18:00 BST), and conditions are expected to be largely the same as on Saturday: warm, dry, and again, a north-west wind. Gusts of up to 35 km/h are predicted, although the wind will die down during the race, with temperatures of 30 to 31 degrees Celsius expected for the race, which will last for 50 laps.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix can be seen live on Sky Sports F1, with the broadcaster holding exclusive rights for Formula 1 until at least 2029.

All sessions during the weekend can therefore be seen live on their TV channel and on their streaming app, Sky Go, with qualifying and the race being uninterrupted by adverts. Pre- and post-race previews and analysis are also provided by the British broadcaster.

As always, you can also keep up to date throughout the entire Grand Prix weekend on GPblog. As accustomed, the latest, most significant, and most interesting news will always be available first on GPblog. With live blogs during the sessions in the weekend, you'll be kept up to date with all the action on and off the circuit in Jeddah. In addition, GPblog provides exclusive footage from Viaplay, analysis, post-race reactions, and much more.

Like in Bahrain, the race in Saudi Arabia is an evening race, but the lights will go out a little bit later than last week's Grand Prix. Sunday's race will start at 20:00 local time, just after 18:00 BST. A day earlier, qualifying also starts at that time.

There will be three free practices in total at the super-fast street circuit of Jeddah, with no sprint qualifying or race taking place due to it not being a sprint weekend.

Third free practice: 16:30 - 17:30 local time (14:30 - 15:30 BST)

Qualifying: 20:00 - 21:00 local time (18:00 - 19:00 BST)

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: 20:00 local time (18:00 BST)