Pre Race
All eyes on Jeddah!
Happy Easter, folks! Ready for some racing?
Our guy, Nico Hulkenberg, and the rest of the Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the third and final race of the season’s first triple-header. Following a challenging weekend in Bahrain, the team is eager to get back on track, aiming to build on the progress made so far and continue the development of the C45 race car.
“Jeddah is known as a real challenge – it’s fast, narrow, and leaves no room for mistakes. The track layout should suit our C45 better than Bahrain did. To be competitive here, we need to make sure everything is dialed in from the start,” says Nico Hulkenberg.
The high-speed, flowing nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit presents a fresh test, as the team strives to turn potential into tangible results. Like in Bahrain, the race is a night event, starting after sunset, which makes the spectacle even more exciting.
“The focus for us will be on getting the setup right and finding the balance we need to be quick in every session. It’s about staying focused, adapting to the changing track conditions due to the heat, and making sure we’re in the right place to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way,” the German adds.
The first two practice sessions will take place on Friday, followed by a third session on Saturday before Qualifying on Saturday evening (20:00 local time). Sunday’s 50-lap Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will get underway at 20:00 local time (GMT +3).
Three Facts About Jeddah:
- With average speeds of around 250 km/h, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the fastest street circuit ever seen in Formula 1. It is also the third-longest on the calendar — only surpassed by Las Vegas and Spa-Francorchamps.
- Featuring 27 corners, it has the most turns of any track on the calendar. Many of these are fast, flowing bends as drivers weave their way along the Jeddah waterfront.
- No one has managed to beat Lewis Hamilton’s race lap record from 2021. With a time of 1:30.734, the Briton remains the fastest driver around the Saudi Arabian street circuit.
Qualifying
Fired up for Jeddah!
Nico Hulkenberg will start tonight’s Formula 1 race in Jeddah from P18 after a qualifying session that didn’t go as smoothly as the Sauber driver had hoped. However, anything can happen in the Saudi Arabian street race, which is often known for action that can create opportunities – so the Admin By Request ambassador remains positive ahead of the race.
“Unfortunately, I locked up the front wheel and ran wide at Turn 1 during my final run in Q1. I truly believe we had the potential to make it into Q2. The margins are so fine that everything has to come together perfectly every time. We’ll need to analyse exactly what happened, as the lock-up felt a bit unusual. I even braked slightly earlier because I sensed the front tyres weren’t as ready as they had been on the previous run,” Nico Hulkenberg said after Saturday’s session.
“The starting position is obviously not ideal, but we’ll take on the challenge and do our best to make the most of it tomorrow. We’ll need a bit of action ahead of us and a smart strategy to move forward.”
All eyes on the No. 27 Sauber! Sunday’s 50-lap Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will get underway at 20:00 local time (GMT +3).
Race Day
“We’ve got some work to do”
Starting from 18th on the grid, Nico Hulkenberg had hoped the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix would present some incidents that could open up opportunities – but aside from a single safety car right after the start, it turned out to be a clean (and hot!) street race in Jeddah, and the German finished Sunday’s race in 15th place.
“This was the most demanding race of the season so far. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a quiet and uneventful Sunday for everyone – I didn’t see a single yellow flag after the first lap. We simply didn’t have the pace to gain more positions or challenge for points. The balance of my car wasn’t ideal, which led to increased tyre wear, so we’ve got some work to do,” Nico Hulkenberg said.
“On the positive side, we had a clean race and collected plenty of data to analyse. After an intense start to the season and a tough triple-header, it’s good for the whole team to have a short break before we reset and go again in Miami,” the German added.
Well fought, Nico! Now it’s time to regroup and recharge, with full focus on coming back stronger in Miami in two weeks 🚀
