This weekend, the second part of the 2023 Formula One World Championship is happening at a place called Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the Red Sea coast. It’s said that this could be the fastest street circuit in the world and it hosted its third ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The track layout of this racing circuit was made by the famous architect Hermann Tilke. It is 3.83 miles long, which is only a bit shorter than the 4.35-mile Spa-Francorchamps. This circuit has 27 turns and corners, more than any other circuits on the race calendar. In previous two races, people have raced here with an average speed over 150 mph!
The track that racers will drive on has a medium amount of grip but the sand from the desert can affect that. The wind direction can also have an impact. Pirelli, which is the company in charge, has chosen three different types of tires. White is the hardest tire and labeled ‘C2’, Yellow is medium and tagged as ‘C3’, while Red is soft and called ‘C4’.
The teams in the race will have to manage the temperature changes as they go, since the race begins in the evening and runs until night. The forecast says that it will be a nice day out this weekend with temperatures of about 90 degrees (Fahrenheit).
This year, the track was changed with added rumble strips on the escape roads and smoother curbs. Some of the walls were moved to make it easier to see in some spots and for the corners to go slower in others.
Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing was the fastest after some exercise on Friday, followed by his teammate Sergio Perez. The next two were Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll from Aston Martins. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will have to start 10 steps behind because he has exceeded the limit of power unit control electronics that are allowed.
Verstappen is currently in the lead with 25 points in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship. Perez has 18 points, while Alonso has 15 points so far. Red Bull is on top of the Constructors’ Championship with 43 points followed by Aston Martin at 23 and Mercedes-Benz AMG at 16. Verstappen won last year’s race in Saudi Arabia, representing Red Bull.