2021 Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia Hamilton Verstappen.jpg

Who will win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

  • Max Verstappen

    Votes: 1,117 46.4%
  • Lewis Hamilton

    Votes: 1,120 46.5%
  • Other Driver

    Votes: 172 7.1%

  • Total voters
    2,409
Just two races remain in this unforgettable 2021 F1 season, and both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships are still hotly contested as the teams head to Saudi Arabia.

Most Formula 1 fans are feeling some combination of excitement and exhaustion entering the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend. On one hand, the most tightly contested F1 championship in many years is a racing fan’s dream, but on the other hand the off-track drama has been a racing purist’s nightmare.

Amidst this on-track versus off-track furor, the 10 F1 teams and drivers are focused on securing or advancing their positions in the championship standings. Max Verstappen sits eight points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings. The pair have combined to win all but four races so far this season, and a win by either driver in Saudi Arabia will have a significant impact on the title outcome. A win by Hamilton will close the gap to two or fewer points entering the final race, and a win by Verstappen would reduce Hamilton’s hopes of taking the title to a few unlikely outcomes in Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes and Red Bull are just five points apart in the constructors’ standings entering Saudi Arabia. Valtteri Bottas was the first race retirement in Qatar, which limited Mercedes’ points to the 25 collected by Hamilton. 2nd and 4th place finishes by the Red Bull drivers gave them a significant points surge to help narrow the championship gap. Like the drivers’ standings, a lot is on the line in Saudi Arabia for the teams.

Jeddah Corniche Circuit is host to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and should make for a compelling showcase of how fast the current generation of F1 cars is. Nearly 80% of the lap at this street circuit will be flat out for the drivers. Despite being over 6 kilometers long and encompassing 27 turns, qualifying laptimes will be well under one and a half minutes.

All eyes will be on the front of the field this weekend in this high-stakes race. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below on how you think this race will play out.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming Saudi Arabian Grand Prix? Let us know on Twitter at @RaceDepartment or in the comments section below!

Photo credits: Red Bull Content Pool
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

On the contrary: Gilles is my racing hero.

No one is trying to keep you from enjoying anything. I really loved watching Max on his flying lap. I was merely pointing out the fact that as impressive as it was, it doesn’t mean much in the end because he will start 3rd. It was a good show, but still an imperfect performance.
So Fat Alfie is back:laugh::laugh:
 
Out of curiosity: Does anyone already know the total pitlane time when a team has a 2,5 sec pitstop? 25 secs?
 
You must be the most xxxxxxxxx person on the internet.
Even when Max has only himself to blame for hitting that wall, you still focus on shaming Hamilton. You are a disgrace to this forum.

Shame on you as well, you are a disgrace using that language, grow up
 
Premium
How to tell if you are a blind fanboy:
1. You think the officials are corrupt
2. You still witter on about something that happened much earlier in the season and your guy has done in reverse on countless occasions both before and after
3. You think the person that won the championship isn’t the real winner

I think it’s Max’s race to lose tomorrow. He was FAST today. And I’m glad for that because I was expecting Lewis to walk away with this new engine, not so. Going to be an absolutely epic race I think. I just hope it doesn’t end with one of the title contenders in the barrier, but unfortunately I think it will.
 
Premium
Niki Lauda (also attibuted to Fangio and Prost) once said, and I'm paraphrasing: "The secret is to win as slowly as possible". Many drivers have lost it all by not following this advice and now Max joins the list.

He had pole well in hand after sector 2, but he drove as if he wanted to humiliate Hamilton with a massive gap...now he's paid the price for his hubris. Now if he gets a grid penalty for a new gearbox, he has nobody to blame but himself, as he's potentially handed Hamilton a win and brings the points difference to...zero? Maybe 1 or 2 depending on fastest lap?

What's funny is: Max is kicking himself if you watch his post-quali interview, Jos is upset, Horner is upset...yet some of you still bring Lewis into this, as if he had anything to do with that wall and Max's right foot LOL. Sodium levels are off the charts in here.
 
Niki Lauda (also attibuted to Fangio and Prost) once said, and I'm paraphrasing: "The secret is to win as slowly as possible". Many drivers have lost it all by not following this advice and now Max joins the list.
That was always Prost' philosophy: do whatever it takes to win the WC, not more. If you can win the title by finishing 5th, finish 5th. Then, there's the Senna philosophy: it's not enough to win, you have to obliterate your adversaries and show you're the alpha male.

In the end, that's probably why Senna is so loved and why Prost never really gets the respect I believe he deserves. Despite his 4 titles and 50 wins, he's still underrated in my opinion. But Senna has the charisma, no doubt, and to watch him on a flying in qualifying was simply breathtaking.
 
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I think it’s Max’s race to lose tomorrow. He was FAST today.
Surely it's Hamilton's race to lose? He's got Bottas as a rearguard and you can't overtake on this track. No amount of speed is going to help Max unless he gets a miraculous launch to pass both Merc's immediately.
 
When I first watched a video of driving around the track, I thought of Australia's track at Albert Park. Sharp first turn followed by short straights with mostly shallow corners. Jedda has those long straights in the middle, but the rest of the track might as well be AP.
Most of the passing will happen with DRS or driver errors. In the practice sessions, did anyone attempt to use DRS to pass or is that still an unknown?
 
Premium
Surely it's Hamilton's race to lose? He's got Bottas as a rearguard and you can't overtake on this track. No amount of speed is going to help Max unless he gets a miraculous launch to pass both Merc's immediately.
Bottas as a rearguard is comical and 'you can't overtake' on a track with 3 DRS zones? Lolwut. Don't forget the inevitable safety car restarts too.

This place is not Monaco.
 
Bottas as a rearguard is comical and 'you can't overtake' on a track with 3 DRS zones? Lolwut. Don't forget the inevitable safety car restarts too.

This place is not Monaco.
That's literally the job description of Bottas, to help Mercedes win both championships. Of course he's going to rearguard. And good luck even getting into DRS range when the corners are all aero-grip dependent. Verstappen has to take one or both Mercs at turn 1, otherwise 3rd is his best finishing position. He might only finish 5th at best if RB are paranoid enough to swap the gearbox, because I don't even fancy him to overtake LeClerc or Norris on track.
 
D
Oh, so he makes car skins and been a forum member for 10 years + , well that's different. Well he is clearly right about Max Lewis and the FIA. I stand corrected, I feel very humble now.:sick:
 
Oh, so he makes car skins and been a forum member for 10 years + , well that's different. Well he is clearly right about Max Lewis and the FIA. I stand corrected, I feel very humble now.:sick:
So you do? He is just a Max fan, so what? Sorry have to say, that kind of respons only makes the admosfere worse and worse!
I did do the same, but lurned my lesson, may the best win today, without allways forum wars, period:thumbsup:
 

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