2024 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Preview: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Preview

Following last weekend's season opener in Bahrain, the 2024 F1 World Championship moves to the country's annual race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit near Saudi Arabia.

The race will take place on a Saturday instead of the usual Sunday to avoid coinciding with preparations for the month of Ramadan (fasting).

Ferrari has announced that Carlos Sainz will miss the race due to appendicitis and will require surgery. Reserve driver Oliver Bearman will fill in for Sainz.

This weekend marks the fourth Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a street circuit on the Red Sea coast in the city of Jeddah, designed by Hermann Tilke, a well-known circuit designer.

It has 27 corners, the most of any circuit on the calendar. The surface has moderate grip, but is affected by sand blowing in from the nearby desert, and the wind direction can vary greatly.

In addition, the Saudi race runs from dusk to night, so teams must deal with rapid changes in temperature as the race progresses. The current weather forecast calls for good weather during the race, with peak temperatures around 85 degrees.

Pirelli has designated medium tire compounds for the race: white hard for C2, yellow medium for C3, and red soft for C4.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a street circuit, which means that there is a high risk of the safety car being introduced due to the walls in the narrow corridors. In the last three Saudi Arabian GPs, the safety car was introduced four times and there were two red-flag suspensions. From this year's event, the new 2025 Aston Martin Vantage will take over the safety car role from its predecessor.

Heading into Friday's qualifying and Saturday's race, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen leads the 2024 drivers' championship with 26 points. Sergio Perez, also of Red Bull, is second with 18 points and Sainz is third with 15 points. In the constructors' championship, Red Bull leads with 44 points to Ferrari's 27 and Mercedes-Benz AMG's 16. Last year it was Red Bull's Perez who won in Saudi Arabia.

The 2024 season will also see the first race of the Formula 1 Academy, which will consist entirely of female drivers, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Two races will be held on Saturday, each with 13 laps.