Jeddah has provided two thrilling races so far
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Formula 1 returns this weekend, with the second round of the 2023 world championship held at the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia.
The track, which has an average speed of 157mph (252km/h), is the second-fastest on the F1 calendar after Monza, and has so far provided two thrilling grands prix.
Fans will be keen to see the seaside circuit deliver again after an opening 2023 race in Bahrain in which Max Verstappen cruised to a dominant win, with Fernando Alonso’s charge to third providing the main excitement.
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The Aston Martin driver will aim to replicate such heroics again in Jeddah, while Charles Leclerc is hoping to make up for the disappointment of his retirement in Sakhir, but two electronics failure across the Bahrain weekend means he will need to take a ten-place grid penalty for Saudi.
McLaren is looking to get its 2023 up and running after a disastrous opening race which saw both cars retire, while Esteban Ocon will hope to put a Bahrain GP behind him in which he equalled the record for the most penalties ever accrued in one race.
As a number of storylines play out, all eyes will be on the exciting Jeddah circuit this weekend.
Can Leclerc and co challenge Verstappen in Jeddah?
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The Saudi Arabian GP is held from March 17 to March 19, with a trio of practice sessions, a one-hour qualifying session and a 50-lap blast through the streets of Jeddah on race day.
Sky Sports F1 will broadcast the action live, with Channel 4 showing highlights of both qualifying and the race later in the evening following the day’s events.
If you are streaming from a laptop, table or mobile device, you can use Sky Sports’ NowTV app, which has identical coverage to its television service.
All times are shown in GMT.
| Qualifying, Saturday 18 March | Saudi Arabian GP, Sunday 19 March | |
| Start time | 5pm | 5pm |
| Live coverage | 4pm | 3:30pm |
| Highlights | 8.50pm, Channel 4 | 10.15pm, Channel 4 |
The 2023 Saudi Arabian GP will be held over 50 laps of the Jeddah Corniche circuit, which is 6.1km(3.8 miles) in length and features three DRS zones.
The weather will be consistent throughout the weekend, with the temperature at 25 degrees celsius at the race start with 0% chance of rain.
The only aspect that may adversely affect the cars is the gusty nature of the coastline resort, with 30km/h gusts expected in the Sunday afternoon prior to the race.
If you want to stream via your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device, NowTV covers every session, identical to Sky Sports F1’s live coverage. Season and weekend passes are available to purchase to keep you up to date wherever you are.
F1’s current dominant team Red Bull is the favourite in the Middle East, with Max Verstappen in imperious form. However, his team-mate Sergio Perez took pole last year – and the Dutchman crashed while trying to beat Lewis Hamilton the previous year.
If anyone can challenge them, it’s most likely to be the new stars of 2023: Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin. Though some have suggested the AMR23 won’t be suited to the Saudi circuit, the Spaniard can usually wring out performance in even the most difficult of situations.
Charles Leclerc was relatively close to the Red Bulls in Bahrain qualifying, and with Ferrari’s tyre wear expected to be better in Saudi as opposed to Sakhir, the Scuderia will hope to mount a challenge.
Mercedes has been downbeat about its chances in Jeddah, with Hamilton suggesting the Red Bull might be 1.5sec per lap faster than anyone else. However, the true performance levels will only become apparent in qualifying and the race.
| Friday 3 March | Saturday 4 March | Sunday 5 March | |
| F1 | Free Practice 1 – 1.30pm Free Practice 2 – 5pm |
Free Practice 3 – 13.30pm Qualifying – 5pm |
Grand Prix – 5pm |
