The Jeddah Corniche Circuit’s 27-turn 6.175 km layout features several lengthy full-throttle sections that cater to low drag settings and stretches of fast and sinuous corners that require more downforce.
As usual, the ideal compromise will slightly favour one or the other depending on a car's design and specific characteristics.
Save for Haas, Sauber and Alpine, all F1 teams brought circuit-specific updates to the Saudi venue, with a focus on reducing drag, precisely to better serve the track's high-speed demands.
Modified rear wings, beam wings and various aero elements were mounted to help find the ideal trade-off between top speed and balance.
Red Bull was unsurprisingly on top of this crucial compromise, with Max Verstappen securing pole while his RB20 displayed the highest maximum velocity among F1’s front-runners.
Meanwhile, for the record, Haas collected bragging rights for topping the speed trap readings.
Charles Leclerc was runner-up to Verstappen in qualifying, with the Ferrari driver partially mitigating his top speed deficit to the Dutchman thanks to his heavy braking.
Interestingly, Lewis Hamilton’s top speed was similar to Verstappen’s maximum velocity despite Mercedes reverting after Thursday’s running to a larger rear wing on its W15 in a bid to instill more stability and combat the car’s recalcitrant bouncing.
While Mercedes is fielding a car with reasonably good aero efficiency, there’s definitely more work to do to boost the W15’s performance in the high-speed corners.
Looking ahead to this evening’s race, strategy is typically a no-brainer at Jeddah, with a one-stop almost obligatory. However, teams will be pondering which compound to run alongside the medium C2 tyre.
On paper, the quickest strategy according to Pirelli is to use the C3 at the start before switching to the C2 between lap 18 and 25.
But as usual, incidents and drama are likely to come into play this evening and throw the off wrench into the works, as that’s been the norm in every Saudi Arabian GP since 2021.
So, buckle up and enjoy the action!
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