Formula 1 returns to Saudi Arabia less than four months after its debut on this track.
Pirelli has once again chosen the central compounds of the range: C2 as P Zero White hard, C3 as P Zero Yellow medium and C4 as P Zero Red soft.
In this case, however, the cars and tires are completely new and, for the first time this year, the teams will have the C4 compound available for the race, as the three harder compounds.
This choice was made on the basis of the characteristics of the Jeddah track (both in terms of layout and asphalt), the expected temperatures and the data collected in the debut race in 2021.
The fastest street circuit on the Formula 1 calendar has slightly changed compared to last year's debut, following the changes made necessary due to some accidents on the track in 2021. The protective barriers have also been moved further back in order to improve the view in some corners, while the last corner (27) has been widened by removing a grandstand, and this could further decrease the lap time.
Turn 13 (of the total 27) still has 12 degrees banking and contributes to making the circuit very fast, second in speed only to that of Monza.
"Gedda represents - explained Pirelli's motorsport director Mario Isola - a completely different challenge compared to the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain because the characteristics of the track, both in terms of layout and asphalt, are different. In addition, the drivers will use more compounds. soft this weekend to cope with the specific needs of this track, which is almost as fast as Monza. The teams will arrive in Jeddah without ever testing the new cars with the new tires at this circuit before, and conditions may be slightly different than last visit to Saudi Arabia as now the race takes place at another time of the year and some changes have been made to the track. The compounds named are the same as in 2021,but they are totally new compared to last year ".
