Dry and gusty weekend awaits F1 drivers in Jeddah

A typically dry and gusty weekend of racing awaits teams as Formula 1 heads to Jeddah for the second round of the Formula 1 season in Saudi Arabia.

Despite taking place in a Gulf nation renowned for being largely desert, the Saudi Arabian round is actually one of the middling races of the season in terms of average temperature – largely because the race is one of six to be held under lights this year. In 2022, Jeddah was the 12th hottest grand prix by air temperature, running in 26C conditions.

Unsurprisingly, there has never been a wet session across the two Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekends to date, and there is little chance that will change this weekend. Only Saturday’s qualifying day has any notable risk of rain at this stage, with a less than 20% likelihood based on forecasts.

Friday’s first practice day should be the coolest of the three days of running, with first practice expected to take place in 26C ambient temperatures and second practice three degrees cooler. Third practice will likely be the hottest session of the weekend at 27C, before qualifying takes place in slightly cooler conditions under the lights once again.

Race day sees no chance of rain with the race taking place in the mid 20 degrees range. However, the wind is expected to be a factor across all three days of running, with gusts of up to 30km/h projected from Friday to Sunday, potentially adding to the risk factor for drivers at a circuit where cornering speeds are high and run-off space is limited.

The inaugural 2021 race took place in December, before the event moved to March last season.

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For more updates on the track conditions during each session keep an eye on RaceFans Live and the RaceFans Twitter account.

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