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The first-ever Saudi Arabia Grand Prix is set to take place this weekend on a brand new street circuit along the Red Sea in Jeddah. As the season is reaching its dramatic conclusion, an unfamiliar circuit could become the difference in the title battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
But there are other storylines to be explored throughout the weekend, too. FIA F2 is back for the penultimate round before the finale in Abu Dhabi, with Oscar Piastri within touching distance of securing the title.
The real story will be in F1, though. Max Verstappen has a chance to secure the title if he sufficiently outperforms seven-time World Champion Hamilton. It will be no mean feat, but there is every possibility we could have a new Champion at the end of the weekend.
Make sure you’re on top of all the action with session times, support series, weather forecast and the latest news from the weekend, check out this guide with all the information you’ll need.
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix race preview
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix COVID requirements
Entry requirements for Saudi Arabia will require fans to have a visa to enter the country, and proof of Covid-19 vaccination.
To register for a visa, visit the eVisa portal. Here you can fill out the application form, pay the Visa fee (£175), and receive your online visa.
You will also be required to complete a number of actions in line with the country’s Covid protocol. These include demonstrating you have received a full course of vaccination, register your vaccination on this portal, provide a negative PCR test 72 hours before entry to the country, and download the Tawakkalna app.
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix F1 session times
Saudi Arabia is on Arabian Standard Time, which is 3 hours ahead of UTC. The race will take place at dusk and move into the night, so we’ll see the cars under the floodlights for the third time this year. Under the lights on the streets of Jeddah, the cars will look spectacular going wheel-to-wheel.
| Session | Day | Session time (AST) | Session time (GMT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free practice 1 | Friday | 13:30 – 14:30 | 10:30 – 11:30 |
| Free practice 2 | Friday | 17:00 – 18:00 | 14:00 – 15:00 |
| Free practice 3 | Saturday | 14:00 – 15:00 | 11:00 – 12:00 |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 17:00 – 18:00 | 14:00 – 15:00 |
| Race (57 laps) | Sunday | 17:00 – 19:00 | 14:00 – 16:00 |
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix session times
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix support series
FIA Formula 2
The title battle in F2 could be sealed in Saudi Arabia, with Australian Oscar Piastri leading Guanya Zhou – who has just signed a deal for Alfa Romeo’s remaining F1 seat next season – by 36 points. With a possible 65 available throughout the weekend, he needs to outscore his rival by 30 points across the races. Taking pole position and a sprint race victory could be worth 29 points, so the sprint races will be all-important. But it’s a brand-new track for all the drivers, so anything could happen.
| Session | Day | Session time (AST) | Session time (GMT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice session | Friday | 13:45 – 14:30 | 10:45 – 11:30 |
| Qualifying | Friday | 18:20 – 18:50 | 15:20 – 15:50 |
| Sprint Race 1 (20 laps or 45 mins + 1 lap) | Saturday | 15:30 – 16:20 | 12:30 – 13:20 |
| Sprint Race 2 (20 laps or 45 mins + 1 lap) | Saturday | 21:40 – 22:30 | 18:40 – 19:30 |
| Feature Race (28 laps or 60 mins + 1 lap) | Sunday | 17:25 – 18:30 | 14:25 – 15:30 |
Saudi Arabia F2 session times
Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East
More support will be held courtesy of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, which held its last race back in March when Formula 1 raced in Bahrain. These cars will be laying down some much-needed rubber on the newly-laid Jeddah street circuit, but while there may not be too much in the way of overtaking action, they will roar through the town and create and incredible noise.
| Session | Day | Session time (AST) | Session time (GMT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Friday | 12:35 – 13:20 | 09:35 – 10:20 |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 21:45 – 22:30 | 18:45 – 19:30 |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 13:50 – 14:20 | 10:50 – 11:20 |
| Race 1 (10 laps or 25 mins) | Saturday | 23:25 – 23:55 | 20:25 – 20:55 |
| Race 2 (10 laps or 25 mins) | Sunday | 12:55 – 13:25 | 11:25 – 12:30 |
Saudi Arabia Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East session times
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix weather report
There should be no surprises in the weather forecast for the race in Saudi Arabia. Expect temperatures in the low 30-degrees, and lows in the mid-20s, with next to no chance of rain at all.
Live weather updates
JEDDAH WEATHERThe Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Circuit
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit will be the second brand new circuit in two raced for Formula 1. After signing a contract with the country last year, this temporary street track will host the next two events in the country.
With 27 corners, the drivers will be tested with long flowing sections, and very few hard braking zones. Huge top speeds will be respected in the second and final sectors, which are mostly small kinks along high-speed straights.
It will also be the second-longest track on the Formula 1 calendar, and is around 800m shorter than Spa-Francorchamps. Expect much faster lap-times however,
How to stay up to date at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
You can keep up-to-date across all the breaking news by following Motorsport.com throughout the race weekend.
Or get a round-up of the latest headlines from Budapest and beyond with Motorsport.tv LIVE‘s latest bulletins. Head to their channel on Motorsport.tv for the latest news, interviews and reaction from the paddock. Check out the latest bulletin from Motorsport.tv Live on the favourite to occupy Alfa Romeo’s remaining seat for 2022.
And after both qualifying and the race, Autosport‘s top brass will join host Ariana Bravo to review all the top talking points. Check out the latest episode of the Autosport Podcast below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.