The first triple-header of the 2025 season is coming to an end on the shores of the Red Sea.

Jeddah is a port city in Saudi Arabia and is regarded as the port of entry for pilgrims heading to Mecca, as well as being a major commercial centre and cultural hub, known for its modern waterfront and the historic Al-Balad district. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix first appeared on the calendar in December 2021, with the next three events taking place in March, and this year will be the first time it is run in April, when temperature, wind and humidity levels will be more similar to those experienced in summer, which could have an impact on track action this weekend.

The choice of compounds for the first four races of this season were the same as last year's, but for round five, Pirelli has taken a softer step, with the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft being the trio available in Jeddah. This is in line with the aim, shared with the FIA, F1 and the teams, to create more strategy choices for the race and therefore more exciting and unpredictable racing. In the four previous editions of this Grand Prix, the one-stop has always dominated, both in terms of its effectiveness and team preference, even when a Safety Car mixed things up a bit more.

Last year, only Bottas opted to pit twice, all the others going for the one-stop, with the vast majority starting on the C3 (Medium), switching to the C2 (Hard) for the second stint. Bearman in the Ferrari and Bottas in the Sauber were the only drivers to try and make the most of the extra grip available from starting on the C4 (Soft), while three (Norris in the McLaren, Hamilton in the Mercedes and Zhou in the Sauber) lengthened their first stint as much as possible on the Medium before switching to the Soft, proving that it too was a viable race tyre.

The track is 6.174 kilometres long and one of the fastest of the season with drivers spending around 80% of the lap with the accelerator buried to the floor, even though it is fairly twisty and boasts a record number of corners, 27 in fact, with 16 to the left and 11 to the right. Many of them are taken at medium or high speed. Although there are three DRS zones, overtaking is not that straightforward due to the lack of any heavy braking points.

The track surface is not very abrasive, with an average level of roughness, but the lateral forces exerted on the tyres are considerable, although not at the level to be found at Suzuka or Barcelona for example. Graining can put in an appearance, especially in the first free practice sessions as the track is very dirty to start with, because it is rarely used for motor racing. However, with several support categories also racing, track condition improves over the course of the weekend, so that this phenomenon diminishes. However, with a softer trio of compounds this year, it will be interesting to see what effect that has.

Keyword: Countries

Saudi Arabia is the most recent country to join the list of nations that have hosted a Grand Prix in the 75 year history of the Formula 1 World Championship. It made its debut in 2021, two weeks on from when Qatar made its first appearance on the championship stage.

35 countries have hosted at least one race in motorsport's blue riband category. The one with the most Grands Prix to its name is Italy on 107, followed by Germany, Great Britain and the United States all on 79. Saudi Arabia is the latest and fourth Middle Eastern country to host a race, while the region as a whole has, to date, hosted 44 Grands Prix: 21 in Bahrain, 16 in Abu Dhabi, 4 in Saudi Arabia and 3 in Qatar.

Stats

Three drivers have shared the wins in the four editions of this Grand Prix held to date. Max Verstappen won twice in 2022 and 2024, Lewis Hamilton claimed victory in the inaugural event in 2021 and Sergio Perez came out on top in 2023. The same three drivers are also responsible for all four pole positions, although in this case it's Sergio Perez who has two to his name, in 2022 and 2023, with the Englishman claiming the top grid slot in 2021 and the Dutchman doing so one year later.

The four-time world champion has always finished on the podium here, with Charles Leclerc setting the most fastest race laps with two to his name, as well as finishing in the top three twice. Naturally, Verstappen leads the way for points scored on 87 followed by his former team-mate Perez on 55, with the Ferrari driver third on 49.