Jeddah (dpa) – The second race of the season is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar.
The distance:In just a few months, the hosts have built a new Formula 1 circuit on the Red Sea. At the premiere last year, there were even smaller remaining jobs to be done. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the longest street circuit on the racing calendar. ith many fast-paced corners and a top speed of up to 350 kilometers per hour, it is also the fastest street circuit in Formula 1 history. A higher average speed was only achieved in the full-throttle temple of Monza last year.
The location:The course meanders through the lagoon around the “Floating Mosque”. The Al-Rahma Mosque is built on white stilts and at high tide it appears as if it is floating on the waves. The first drafts by Formula 1 master builder Hermann Tilke were based on Google research. However, this is only a temporary route. From 2023 the Grand Prix will move to Riyadh. There, a new course is to become the heart of an entertainment mega-project.
This is how it went last year:The debut race provided plenty of fuel. An accident by Mick Schumacher triggered turbulence that poisoned the climate between the top teams Red Bull and Mercedes even more. After a tough duel with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen should let the Briton pass. But the World Cup rivals collided. In the end, Hamilton secured victory in the Mercedes, Verstappen finished second in the Red Bull despite a five-second penalty. Both went into the season finale with the same number of points, which then ended in great drama on the final lap.