17/04/2025
NEWS STORY
After events in Japan and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia completes the opening triple-header of the 2025 campaign, with the street-style Jeddah Corniche Circuit welcoming Formula 1 for a fifth time.
The 6.1km circuit stretches out along the Red Sea shoreline of Saudi Arabia's second city, and with 27 turns Jeddah has more corners than any other circuit on the current calendar. The majority of those are taken at high speed, in sixth gear or higher, making Jeddah the fastest street track on the schedule.
The blind nature of many of those corners - some of those mere kinks - adds to the challenge for drivers. Jeddah usually has high track evolution through the course of the weekend, with qualifying and the race taking place at night, in cooler ambient conditions than the daytime. Interruptions and delays are also likely, with all four Formula 1 races held so far at Jeddah having featured the deployment of the Safety Car due to incidents and accidents.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team is striving to continue its strong run of form that sees the team entering the fifth round of the season in fifth position in the Constructors' Championship, on 20 points. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team pair Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman both have prior Formula 1 experience at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Ocon has contested all four grands prix in Saudi Arabia, finishing a high of fourth in Jeddah's inaugural race in 2021. Bearman memorably made his Formula 1 debut in Jeddah in 2024, having been drafted in at late notice for Scuderia Ferrari, and classified in seventh position, becoming the third-youngest Formula 1 racer in history.
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "Jeddah offers the unique challenge of a high-speed street circuit with little margin for driving error. We will be typically running lower drag settings compared to the circuits we've been to so far this year, so how we stabilize the car and get the tires to work with such a low drag configuration will be key. This is also the first circuit we visit this year where Ollie has previous Formula 1 race experience. It's difficult to predict exactly how the VF-25 will perform in Jeddah, but we've been getting maximum out of it in recent races. We're looking to carry over this momentum and finish the first triple-header of the season - which is very demanding for everyone both at the track and at our factories - on a high."
Ollie Bearman: "I'm very excited to return to Jeddah, it's the first repeat race of my career which is pretty cool. Having had the experience of last year was very nice and helpful and was a highlight of my life so far, having my debut with Ferrari, that track will always hold a special place in my heart. Even before my Formula 1 debut, I really enjoyed driving around Jeddah because of its high-speed nature, and the thrill of driving at such speeds between the walls so I'm looking forward to returning and now having a full race weekend under my belt, not just, FP3, quali, and the race - it should be a good one."
Esteban Ocon: "Jeddah is an exciting circuit. I think this track is one that's really demanding on the driver; it's so fast and there's so much grip, you need to get so close to the wall and that's how much time there is to gain - the closer to the wall, you're going to be gaining over a lap. It's the type of weekend a driver really enjoys, and you feel the potential from a Formula 1 car. It's going to be extremely hot there, this year we get there much later than before - it's going to be around 40 degrees - so it's going to be a challenge for all of us and we need to be ready for the heat. Overall, I look forward to racing in Saudi."