The most exciting Formula 1 World Championship in recent years only has two chapters left and the penultimate one has the ingredients to generate a cocktail very loaded with uncertainty. The first edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be held on the world’s fastest street circuit in the city of Jeddah . On the shores of the Red Sea and racing at night, average speeds of over 250 kilometers per hour are expected on a track completely unknown to all drivers. It does not go any further.
The second of the three Middle East races to round off the World Cup – the last will be held on December 12 in Abu Dhabi – has been accompanied by controversy since it was officially announced a year ago. Human rights associations such as Amnesty International were quick to denounce that the race in Jeddah represents an international face wash for the autocratic Saudi government.
More recently, another recurring controversy arose every time a major sporting event is held in Saudi Arabia : the mandatory dress code, especially strict with women, who were prevented from wearing dresses or skirts above the knee. Following an initial warning message to this effect, the Government of Saudi Arabia subsequently rectified and asked all F1 visitors to “respect Saudi Arabia’s cultural sensitivities when in public”, but without explicit reference to attire.
Preparations for the race have also raised fears at Liberty Media , as just a month ago images of the circuit were posted with a lot of work still to be done and no installations completed. After a tireless work against the clock, it seems that Jeddah will be ready to host the most important motorsport competition in the world.
Mercedes warms up the atmosphere
On a purely sporting level, the head-to-head between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton is at its peak. The Dutchman has the upper hand with an eight-point lead in the overall standings. If he finishes first or second, ‘Mad Max’ even has a mathematical option to win his first world title, although for that he would need a bad result from Mercedes, where Toto Wolff has put pressure by claiming the role of favorites.
“Our car is giving a good performance recently and is probably in its best moment of the season,” warns the head of the German team. His counterpart at Red Bull, Christian Horner, already said in the last race that he does not intend to “kiss Wolff’s ass” and warns that the race in Saudi Arabia may be “crazy” due to the characteristics of the circuit.
Take a rapid lap of the new Jeddah Corniche Circuit 🚀
The fastest street circuit on the calendar is now available on the #F12021Game 🙌#F1 @Formula1game 🎮
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 15, 2021
According to calculations by Formula 1 itself , the officially known as Jeddah Corniche Circuit will be the second fastest of the entire championship only behind Monza , the so-called ‘Temple of Speed’. The lap will be completed at an exact average speed of 252 kilometers per hour, with top speed peaks close to 310 km / h and three different DRS zones. In addition, it has a total of 27 curves, more than any other on the calendar, and with hardly the possibility of escapes, only walls where more than one can see their possibilities truncated.
