Countdown to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Papapapaaaaaa, hear ye hear ye, the last Grand Prix of the Triple Header is here!

I’m going to be honest, I’m already exhausted from this triple header. I love F1, for real, but 21h of racing in the span of 17 days is A LOT. Who’s #TeamTripleHeader here ?

Anywayyyyy, as per usual now, let the Countdown begin!

5 Numbers About The Grand Prix

250km/h

With this kind of high speed, you better believe it’s the fastest track out of the 24 races this year.

6.175km

It is the 3rd longest track in the calendar, just behind Las Vegas and Spa-Francorchamps.

4

Is the number of races that took place in Saudi Arabia (2021.2022,2023,2024). Baby track toutoutoutoutou baby track toutoutoutoutou baby track toutoutoutoutou baby track <3

44

Is the driver number of the only non-red bull driver to win a Grand Prix around here aka the mighty Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

100th

Is the podium milestone Fernando Alonso attained in the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. However after that fun post-race ceremony, the FIA released a statement announcing that his penalty during the race wasn’t served correctly, therefore another 10 seconds were added to his time making him 4th. Thankfully Aston Martin weren’t going to let this go and after a thorough review, his podium was reinstated. Ouf.

4 Top Teams Will Try To Break Red Bulls Domination

1 team seems to be on top here : Red Bull. Will that remain the case ?

With four races (not counting the one we are about to witness), the track is without any surprise a testimony to the Red Bull domination since Max Verstappen’s 2022 win over here.

Although Lewis Hamilton remains the first winner on this track, will he keep the title of sole non-Red Bull driver to do so ?

In my opinion it is a strong NO. This race should be a McLaren win seeing how well they performed at the Bahrain Grand Prix (and many more races before but you get it). Neither Ferrari nor Red Bull have the car to bring the fight to the papaya team, maybe Mercedes? Best case scenario, their racing skills could give them solid points or an eventful qualifying would see them on the front (and I hope so, I promise), but right now, without any improvement on their packages, I’ve turned into a Pessimistic Polly.

All we know is that the 4 current top teams will probably show us a kind of racing even Netflix couldn’t invent and the rest of the grid will likely base their strategy on possible red flags that occurred in front. Maybe a rookie on the podium this weekend ?

3 Epic DRS Zones : All About The Track

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is still a padawan in this arena but like Anakin Skywalker he has impressed all despite his young age (hi pod race scene I love you).

Designed to thrill and terrify at the same time, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is unlike any other track on the Formula 1 calendar. It boasts 27 corners, the most of any F1 circuit. Despite being a street circuit, it’s crazy fast, with lap speeds of over 250 km/h! The layout features three DRS zones, perfectly placed to encourage pure wheel-to-wheel action (and nail-biting late-braking moves). But make no mistake: it’s a narrow, unforgiving beast. Walls are lurking just millimeters from the racing line, making them the deadly ingredient for chaos. It’s a street track with a supercar soul, and every race here feels like it’s one red flag away from drama.

The official lap record at Jeddah is 1:30.734, set by Lewis Hamilton during the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — a record I feel could be broken this weekend.

2 Exciting Categories Added To The Weekend

Formula 2

One category I think we can all agree on remains entertaining throughout the years it’s Formula 2!
25 drivers all eager to showcase why they deserve to board the mothership aka Formula 1.

Each race, chaotic and unpredictable is focusing on talent and racecraft. Same chassis, same engine, same tires and a reverse grid format, each of the 14 weekends is a gift of pure racing.

This year, many drivers could fight for the title with names we might see in F1 in the futur like Kush Maini, Alex Dunne, Jak Crawford or even Arvid Lindbad. I can’t wait to see you will hold that finale trophy! Do you guys have a favorite?

F1 Academy

With 7 dates in accordance with the Formula 1 calendar, the F1 Academy championship is giving 15 drivers F4 cars and for 10 of those driver, a sponsorship from the 10 F1 Teams. This feminine racing orchestra lead by the incredible and inspiring Susie Wolff is giving amazing women a new kind of visibility and great on-track battles and strategies.

As a french woman, I cannot help but talk about Doriane Pin, the current leader of the championship and the favorite this season with a probable season battle against Maya Weug. The small number of races allow drivers like her to enter different categories. In the case of Doriane, you can find her in the FRECA series and earlier this year in FRMEC.

1 Word Controversy : Sportwashing

Well well well, how surprising… said no one ever.

Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia has drawn more than just thrilling racing, it's sparked very serious criticism from various human rights organizations. For example, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the kingdom of using the Grand Prix as a form of “sportswashing”.

Sportswashing : noun. the practice of an organization, a government, a country, etc. supporting sport or organizing sports events as a way to improve its reputation

In this case it is the fact of leveraging the glamour of F1 to gloss over a harsh reality of human rights violations. In 2021, 45 human rights groups even urged Lewis Hamilton to boycott the race, citing the war in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Hamilton (our knight in shining armor, quite lonely in this battle since the departure of Sebastian Vettel) responded by donning a rainbow helmet in Jeddah to protest Saudi Arabia’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights. Definitely not a helmet they would highlight in their Hall of Fame, and that’s how you know it was a great thing to do.

The controversy only got worst in 2022 when Houthi rebels launched a missile strike near the circuit during Friday practice — a real reminder of the region’s instability. Despite that, hours of negotiations in meetings and the mass execution of 81 people just two weeks before, the race went ahead. The arguments to defend it ? On one hand you have Formula 1 stating that its events are committed to uphold human rights and that racing can act as a force for positive cultural and economic change. On the other hand, Saudi officials argue that the Grand Prix is part of a broader initiative to “open up” the nation.

It’s one thing, to come up with a bullshit excuse like “we can’t not race, look at the public who came all this way to see this great event” (because let’s be real, it’s all about money and power) but it’s another to use a scary and uncertain time to promote cars going in circles as a peace message.

Sooooo, as we head into the race weekend, Jeddah once again proves to be more than just a stop on the calendar — it's a cocktail of high-speed drama, fierce competition, and uncomfortable truths. Whether you’re here for the chaos, the rising stars or the bigger conversations that surround modern motorsport, one thing’s for sure: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix doesn’t leave anyone indifferent.