Another crazy track, it’s going to be a crazy race, says Esteban Ocon. What’s in store for us at the Jeddah circuit?

It will be the 21st race of this year’s Formula 1 season and the second race since the end of the calendar. The Saudi Grand Prix will no doubt tell us a lot. Not just according to Esteban Ocon, we’re going to have a crazy race. Why? There are several factors.

Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon compared the circuit in Jeddah to Baku, which is also a city circuit. He spoke this way after trying the track on a simulator. “I like these crazy circuits like Baku. You have to drive at your limits and I think it will be fun,” Ocon said at the team briefing.

The track is 6.1 kilometres long and it is already clear that it will be one of the fastest in the Formula One series. In fact, Ocon predicts that the race will be very gruelling and physically extremely demanding for the drivers.

“The circuit looks quite challenging because it’s a fast urban track and it’s not far from the walls. It’s an extremely fast track with lots of chicanes and fast corners one after the other with little room to rest,” he explains.

And this is where we get to the next factor. So not only will the drivers be doing 50 laps in total concentration and many of them can be expected to be completely exhausted after the race, but the combination of a fast track with a few tight passages – it’s made for drama and a safety car exit.

With the two protagonists in the championship battle sure to be tactically savvy, other circumstances here may not only completely mess up the race order, but it may also significantly affect the plot of the Saudi Grand Prix.

“With so many corners, this circuit presents a real challenge for our engineers. To simply get the car set up correctly, which will be very difficult given the high demands of the track,” he continues.

“Each lap will also be very long, so I think that makes the circuit even more challenging and it will be important that we can stay fully focused,” Ocon concluded.

I couldn’t agree more. The incredible difficulty of the track, the battle for the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, the ongoing battle for third place and fifth place in the team standings – we are entering the final phase of a spectacular season, so let’s not miss it!

F1, Race Fans