“Jeddah marks a completely different challenge” to season opener – Pirelli’s Mario Isola

After an exhilarating season opener last weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, the second round of the championship is already upon us, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit produced one of the most frenetic races in modern Formula 1 history last season, with two red flags, scary collisions and that now famous coming together between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The British driver went on to win the race last season which took place in December.

It will be the new cars first-time on the circuit, as well as being the first-time that Pirelli’s 18-inch tyres will be used at the venue. Pirelli have opted for their middle range of compounds for this weekend, the C2, C3 and C4. The same combination was used last year, however the tyres used last year were much smaller.

The fastest street circuit on the calendar has undergone some changes since the sports last visit. The main feature drivers will find is that sight lines through corners have been opened up, by moving barriers further back. The final corner has seen a lot of change too, it has been widened by the removal of a grandstand, which could make the lap slightly faster. Verstappen crashed on the exit of the final corner on his final Qualifying lap in 2021, a lap which would’ve secured pole.

The race will be fifty laps long and of course take place during the night under the floodlights for the second Grand Prix in a row, with this in mind Free Practice 2 will be the most beneficial session before the race, with the track temperature being the most similar then.

Pirelli’s Motorsport Director, Mario Isola, is excited to see how the tyres perform this weekend, with the venue being completely different to the one that hosted the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“Jeddah marks a completely different challenge compared to the opening grand prix in Bahrain due to the diverse track characteristics, both in terms of layout and asphalt. Driver will also use a softer range of compounds this weekend to cope with the specific demands of the track, which is nearly as quick as Monza. The teams head into Jeddah with no experience of these tyres and cars on the circuit, and conditions could be somewhat different from last time in Saudi Arabia, with the race now being held at a different time of year and a few track modifications in store.

“The nominated compounds are the same as 2021, but their make-up has also changed entirely from last year. As a result, the teams will have a lot of work to do to assimilate as much data as possible during free practice, especially in FP2 which will be the only relevant session, being held at the same time as qualifying and the race.”