Guide to the second round of the F1 season in Jeddah at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen top of the standings after he took victory in the season-opener in Bahrain ahead of teammate, Sergio Perez, F1 now head to Saudi Arabia in hope of an entertaining race after a dull opening race in the desert.
Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren meanwhile are looking to take a step closer towards Red Bull amidst controversy currently surrounding the reigning champions off-track.
Now, here is a guide to everything that you need to know about 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Track Guide
Circuit: Jeddah Street Circuit
Laps: 50
Race Distance: 308.450km
Tyre Compounds: C2, C3 & C4
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (GMT) |
| Thursday 7 March | FP1 | 1:30pm |
| Thursday 7 March | FP2 | 5:00pm |
| Friday 8 March | FP3 | 1:30pm |
| Friday 8 March | Qualifying | 5:00pm |
| Saturday 9 March | Race | 5:00pm |
Four Key Pointers
- Having dominated Bahrain, Red Bull will be favourites but Jeddah will pose a different test as a street circuit for the reigning winners.
- McLaren will be hoping to get more on a par with Ferrari and Mercedes in race pace after enduring a quiet Bahrain GP.
- After enduring a scruffy Bahrain GP weekend en-route to second place, Sergio Perez needs a tidier weekend if he to fight for another win in Jeddah against his teammate – Verstappen.
- Jeddah has often seen high track evolution in previous visits and with the prospect of unexpected red flags, track position will be key to nailing laps in Qualifying to avoid an unexpected early exit.
Last Time Out
Pole-sitter, Perez lost the lead to Fernando Alonso at the start in 2023 but regained the lead on Lap 4 and went on to take victory unchallenged, whilst Verstappen recovered from 15th on the grid to finish second ahead of Alonso.
Alonso however lost third place to George Russell after he received a post-race 10-second time penalty after stewards adjudged his mechanics to have touched the car during his pit stop in which he served a 5s time penalty, only for the penalty to be overturned upon appeal and the Spaniard reinstated to third.