WI only have two races left to go Formula 1 Championship 2021, the fight for the championship title is heating up. The first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will take place this weekend at the newly built Jeddah Corniche Circuit, just eight points away on the way. Lewis Hamilton and the current leader Max Verstappen…
Since there have been no previous laps or races on the street circuit, teams will only rely on simulations before hitting the tarmac in the first free event, but will it be Red Bull or Mercedes who will appear at the top?
Roller coaster at full throttle
The 6.17 km circuit of Jeddah is the second longest in the Formula 1 calendar (second only to the Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium) and also boasts incredibly high average speeds almost rivaling Monza.
The qualifying averages are advertised as over 160 mph with very few slow turns spanning the Red Sea coast.
This means that it can be something like a power circuit that plays into the hands. Mercedes and Hamiltonespecially with the new powertrain in the car that led the Briton to victory in Brazil from the rear.
Behind the back of consecutive victories, Hamilton definitely has momentum on his side, but he is well aware that Verstappen won’t let him keep it for long.
Just once this season Verstappen passed three races without climbing to the top step of the podium (Italy, Russia, Turkey), but failure to win on Sunday could have caused the title fight to move to Abu Dhabi’s points level.
Red Bull have always been exceptional in high-speed corners, and the Dutchman’s purposeful driving style fits the car to the ground, which should make the “battle of the century” ideally prepared for the second part of the Middle East confrontation.