Alpine's Esteban Ocon expects to be pushed to the limit next weekend in Jeddah, a "kind of crazy" track that the Frenchman thinks will be a blast to drive.
Saudi Arabia will open up a new chapter for Formula 1 this week, with teams setting up shop for the very first time in the Kingdom and along the shores of the Red Sea.
Heralded as the fastest street circuit in the history of Grand Prix racing, the 6.17 km Jeddah Corniche Circuit offers a blend of full-throttle sections, fast sweeps and sinuous corners that will certainly throw a few challenges the drivers' way.
But the Alpine team has prepared accordingly for the demanding track.
"Preparation is the key to getting on the pace at new places," said Ocon.
"The guys have worked hard in running simulations and understanding everything as best as possible, and we had a good day on the simulator to get dialled in to the circuit so we don’t have any surprises when we get there this week.
"I like these kind of crazy tracks – like Baku for example. It pushes everything to the limit, and I think that will be fun."
Based on his sim runs at Enstone, Ocon believes there will be "little room to rest" around Jeddah and its 27-tyrn layout.
"The circuit looks quite demanding as it’s a fast street track with the walls close all the time," he added.
"It’s extremely high speed with a lot of chicanes and fast corners one after the other with little room for rest.
"With so many corners, it presents a challenge for the engineers to work out how best to set up the car with so many demands.
"It’s a long lap too, so I think it’s going to be very physical for us, and it’s important we stay focused during the race."
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