McLaren Racing – Everything you need to know about the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

What kind of desert is it? Um, dessert? The end of the exciting Formula 1 season 2021 is a double helping of action in the desert when we drive under the stars – and floodlights – in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. To begin with, it will be the first Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at the brand new Jeddah Corniche Circuit. This spectacular circuit on the Red Sea, which has never been driven before, is still unknown, but we know that it will be fast, very fast – after all, it is the fastest street circuit in the world.

So what can you expect in Saudi Arabia other than frenetic F1 action? Scroll on to find out because our latest race preview has everything you need to know, starting with the thoughts of McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and team principal Andreas Seidl.

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What you say

“The Jeddah track will be fun, it’s a very fast and flowing track with tight walls that will be a unique challenge. I drove the track in the simulator to get used to the layout, which is very important when you arrive in a new place. Qualifying in these cars on this track will be a very cool experience and will prepare us for a strong race on Sunday. We will give everything up to the checkered flag in Abu Dhabi to achieve the best possible position in both championships. “

“After an intense but ultimately disappointing triple header, it was good to take some time out of the car and start over for the last two races of the year. We don’t really know what to expect in Jeddah, but we’ve worked hard as a team in the UK to prepare for the event and we’re traveling to the Middle East ready to fight. We will do our best to take home decent points and end the season with a highlight. “

“We’re heading back to the desert for the final two races of the 2021 season and our first stop is at another new venue on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. With two new venues in a row, the team at the plant has been working hard to prepare and we have used the window of opportunity between Qatar and Saudi to give the drivers time in the simulator to prepare for the track launch this Friday .

“Even if the last triple header didn’t work out that way, we are still determined to apply everything we have learned over the past race weekends and fight for the best possible results that we can achieve by the last lap in Abu Dhabi. This season has been an intense and exciting fight, but it’s not over yet and we want to end it at a climax. “

What the statistics say

Another new Grand Prix for Formula 1 means that there isn’t exactly a wealth of statistical data to look back on. And if we look at the statistics of recent events, they aren’t exactly the most inspiring read. The previous triple header didn’t do us any good: We only scored four points in the last three races. The last time Daniel missed points in three consecutive races was in 2019, and before that it had to go back to 2013 for another time of its kind. In both cases, he returned to the top 10 on the fourth attempt and in 2019 even achieved his best result of the entire campaign with fourth place.

The last time was our 900th start in F1 and Lando took a few points home after seemingly bogged down for a top five result but a late puncture. He is currently putting together another decent streak of top 10 finishes after not finishing outside of the points since the Belgian Grand Prix in August. Granted, his current run still has a little way to go to bring his best of 15 consecutive placements into points, but if he can finish the season with two more in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, he’ll only need five more at the beginning of 2022 in order to reach his current personal best.

Choice of tire compound for the Saudi Arabia GP

What is to be considered

OK, as mentioned earlier, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a new adventure for teams. So there are some question marks ahead of the weekend, but what we do know is that things will be incredibly fast on this 6.174 kilometer circuit. On the world’s fastest street circuit, cars will travel at over 320 km / h, and the average speed is forecast to be over 250 km / h – higher than at Silverstone and second only to Monza.

The big numbers don’t stop there. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has 27 more corners than any other circuit on the 2021 calendar – that’s six more than the Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, but many of Jeddah’s corners are more like full throttle. The sequence of curves from Turn 4 to Turn 10 creates a fast, flowing “S” section, while Turn 13 with its steep curve sees the driver exposed to about 5 lateral g – it is three degrees steeper than the curves on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There is also not one, not two, but three DRS zones that offer plenty of overtaking opportunities.

It will be even more important than usual to run a lot non-stop on Friday. Drivers will want to familiarize themselves with the track while teams try to save as much data as possible to maximize performance throughout the weekend and ensure the cars can withstand the rigors of the track. Finally, since FP1 and FP3 are scheduled for the late afternoon, FP2 could be particularly important as it provides the most representative conditions for the teams in qualifying and racing under the night sky.

Weather forecast for the weekend

What to wear

Well, if you’re like us, you’ve been so busy with all of the F1 action, you haven’t even started Christmas shopping and suddenly you realize the big day is less than a month away – eek! But don’t panic. We are here to help. The McLaren Store is your one-stop-shop for everything you need. From caps and t-shirts to sunglasses and much more. There is so much to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for everyone special in your life. If you sign up for McLaren Plus using the form below, you will also receive a 10% discount on every order.

This Christmas we put our hearts – and our ears – on the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless ANC earphones with their state-of-the-art noise-canceling technology. We feel like we behaved pretty well this year, but then we thought the same thing last year and ended up with a lump of coal in our stocking instead of the McLaren umbrella we put at the top of the list we put on sent Santa Claus. Sad times …

Plus one

Unfortunately, we don’t have another giveaway for you this week, but there is a good reason for that: We are putting the finishing touches to our big Christmas raffle. That’s right, a huge giveaway is coming and it’s going to be epic. We can’t tell you what you could win just yet, but we can tell you must register with McLaren Plus in order to participate. So make sure you fill out the form below again!

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