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After a brief stop, F1 is back in action this weekend in Saudi Arabia. The series makes its third-ever visit to the high-speed Jeddah Street Circuit. Can we expect another weekend of Red Bull domination? Check out this weekend’s predictions too.
Here is everything you need to know before tuning in for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, including the start time for all sessions, how to watch and more.
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Start Time UK and Schedule
Contents
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Date
The 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix will happen on Sunday, March 19th.
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Start Time
The F1 2023 Saudi Arabia GP is scheduled to start at 5:00 pm GMT.
Below is the detailed schedule for all Saudi Arabia Grand Prix sessions, including the start times in the UK.
Saudi Arabia GP 2023 Schedule
| Friday, March 17 | Session Time (GMT) |
| Free Practice 1 | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm |
| Free Practice 2 | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
| Saturday, March 18 | Session Time (GMT) |
| Free Practice 3 | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm |
| Qualifying | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
| Sunday, March 19 | Session Time (GMT) |
| Race | 5:00 pm |
How Can I Watch the Saudi Arabia GP?
Viewers in the UK can catch up with the 2023 Saudi Arabia GP action live on TV on Sky Sports. Channel 4 will broadcast the highlights after the race. NOW will live stream the race, which is set to go green at 5:00 pm.
For viewers in the US, ESPN will broadcast the 2023 Saudi Arabia GP live.
Television Channels
| TV Channel | Location |
| Sky Sports F1 | UK |
| ESPN | US |
| TSN/RDS | Canada |
| Fox Sports | Australia |
Streaming Services
| Streaming Service | Location |
| NOW TV/Sky Go App | UK |
| ESPN | US |
| TSN Direct | Canada |
| Kayo | Australia |
About the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
One of the most recent additions to the F1 schedule, the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was held for the first time in 2021. The inaugural edition had plenty of controversy.
Drivers lodged several complaints about the track, running into a number of problems over the course of free practice. In qualifying, Max Verstappen crashed out of what looked like a pole-position lap, which then went to his championship rival Lewis Hamilton.
And in the race, the two championship contenders had multiple on-track clashes. The most famous of them came on lap 37, after Verstappen had been forced to let Hamilton after exceeding the track limits in an overtake attempt. Verstappen suddenly slowed the car down in the middle of the back straight, with Hamilton running into the back of the Dutchman’s car.
The British driver went by and both drivers managed to survive, although Verstappen did pick up an additional penalty for the brake-test maneuver. Hamilton’s win set up the thrilling Abu Dhabi Grand Prix decider, with both drivers even on points.
Last year, Verstappen and Charles Leclerc had an epic back-and-forth duel for the win. After several lead changes, Verstappen played the DRS zone to perfection and pulled off the decisive move to win the first race of his successful title defense.
Jeddah is known as one of the fastest street circuits in the world. Sergio Perez’s pole lap in 2022 had an average speed of 250.512 kmh (156.57 mph). This year’s pole will likely be a whisker slower, since the track had some changes made to turns 22 and 23 in a bid to slow the cars down.
Altitude and Weather
Jeddah is located just 12 meters above sea level, so altitude won’t play a part. There is a 0% chance of rain for the weekend, with temperatures between 21 and 29°C.
Saudi Arabia GP Stats
Take a look at the Saudi Arabia GP numbers:
First Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: 2021
Last Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: 2022
Circuit length: 6.174 km
Number of laps: 50
Race distance: 308.450km
Lap record: Lewis Hamilton, 2021 (1:30.734)
Most Wins (Drivers)
Lewis Hamilton – 1
Max Verstappen – 1
Most Wins (Constructors)
Mercedes – 1
Red Bull – 1
Saudi Arabia Offers More than Just Racing
Saudi Arabia is the world’s second-largest oil producer and the largest oil exporter. The country is home to the second-largest oil reserves and the fourth-largest natural gas reserves.
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