The Jeddah Corniche Circuit it is a system designed by the German engineer Hermann Tilke. It is a semi-permanent urban layout located in Saudi Arabia. The drivers tackle the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction.
The track was born with the need to wait for the completion of the installation Qiddiya (work started in 2019, ed). In November 2020 it was revealed that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix it would be held in a temporary city circuit located in Jeddah.
The area chosen was that of Jeddah Corniche, an area located up in a reclaimed lagoon along the Red Sea 12 km north of the city center. During the deliberation phase, the designers wanted to avoid creating a track with slow 90° curves, opting for a fluid and fast design. Around 3000 workers were involved in the construction which lasted just nine months.
The circuit of Jeddah, the design of which was presented on 18 March 2021, can be driven at an average speed exceeding 250 km/h, making it the second in this characteristic after Monza. It's about the layout fastest citizen among those on the calendar. The track is made up of a high number of curves: 27 to be precise. 11 are right-handed, 16 are left-handed. A further peculiarity is represented by the 12 degree slope of curve 13. It also offers three zones DRS. It was the first facility in which, since its construction, three zones were approved for the use of the mobile wing device.
Following the number of accidents that occurred during the 2021 race, the promoters, under the impetus of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), have implemented some changes aimed at improving visibility for drivers. They mainly consisted of moving the barriers back by 1.5 meters at turns 2, 3, 14 and 21. At turn 27 the track was widened by 12 metres.
After the 2022 race further changes were made to the height of turns 22 and 23, a very fast left-right section. At this point the positioning of the barriers has been revised and a curb has been added which reduces the speed of the single-seaters by approximately 50 km/h. On the topic of barriers, other similar adjustments have been implemented at turns 14 and 20. In this case the layout of the track has been widened, thus providing greater visibility for the drivers.
The protective walls, set back a few meters, are also modified in other areas of the track, always with the same objective. Specifically, this happened in turns 8 and 10, the same ones that also see the addition of curbs. The inclusion of the latter also takes place in four other points: curves 1, 11, 17 and 23, together with curves 3, 14, 19, 20 and 21.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia: numbers and useful information
Address: 7897 Al Kurnaysh Rd, Ash Shati District, Jeddah 23512, Saudi Arabia
Number of laps in the race: 50.
Circuit length: 6,175 km.
Race distance: 308.75 kilometers.
Lap record
In competition: Lewis Hamilton 1'30"734 in 2021
Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton 1'27"511 in 2021
Jeddah Circuit Roll of honor in F1
Year | Pilot | Stable |
2021 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
2023 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull |
GP Saudi Arabia: Victories by driver
Victories | Pilot | Year – Car |
1 | Lewis Hamilton | 2021 – Mercedes |
1 | Max Verstappen | 2022 – Red Bull |
1 | Sergio Pérez | 2023 – Red Bull |
Saudi Arabian GP: victories for the team
Victories | Stable | Year – Pilot |
2 | Red Bull | 2022 – Max Verstappen – 2023/Sergio Pérez |
1 | Mercedes | 2021 – Lewis Hamilton |
Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix: the complete weekend programme
NB. The times below are local. In Italy the sessions start two hours before
Friday 7 March
Fp1: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Fp2: 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Saturday 8 March
Fp3 3: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Qualifying: 6.00pm – 7.00pm
Sunday 9 March
Race: 6pm
Photo credits: F1