2023 Formula 1 at Saudi Arabia: How to watch, stream, preview, TV info for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
It’s only the second race of the 2023 Formula One season but there’s a feeling that unless things go better for Mercedes-AMG F1 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, it’s going to be a long, long season for the Silver Stars. For the second year in a row they missed the start of the season with their car. With Red Bull Racing and Ferrari picking up pretty much where they left off at the end of 2022 and Aston Martin looking significantly better, Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will have their fingers crossed that the changes they introduce at Jeddah will – reportedly substantial and eye-catching – are what they need to move forward, not backward, on the grid.
Hamilton was particularly critical of the team after the season opener in Bahrain, saying on BBC’s Checkered Flag podcast that he was ignored during the development of the 2023 car in a heated reaction to the opener.
“I mean, looking back, I don’t think it was the best choice of words,” the seven-time F1 World Champion admitted to formula1.com. “I still believe in this team 100%, it’s my family and I’ve been here a long time so I have no plans to go anywhere else. But we all need a kick, we all need to get ahead.” The proof is in the pudding, we’ve seen where the power is and how people are extracting the power. We need to start making some bold decisions now, some big steps to to bridge the gap with these guys.”
These boysin this case probably means Red Bull and Ferrari, but especially the two-time world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“I mean they will most likely run away with it this year unless Ferrari can probably stop them. We’ll wait and see,” Hamilton said. “We hope that maybe we can close the gap. Then it will probably be too late to fight for a championship, but hopefully we can still attract some attention.”
How to watch the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday March 19th
- Location: 6.175 km (3.87 miles), 27-corner Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Time: 12:55 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN, ESPN+
- Electricity: fuboTV (try for free)
What to expect
Expect Pirelli to bring tire compounds similar to what we saw at Bahrain, so the strategy could be similar to the Bahrain GP with the front runners opting for a two stop strategy but a three stopper not excluded.
There will again be three DRS zones (the first starts at Turn 19 and ends at Turn 22, the second just before Turn 25 and ends at Turn 27 and the third just after the hairpin at Turn 27 down the front straight to Turn 1) .
Yes, there are 27 turns at Jeddah, but thanks to a series of wrist-flicking right-left turns, particularly from the exit of Turn 2 to Turn 12, it’s considered a relatively fast track.
Around the paddock
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll told formula1.com that he’s still “not at 100 per cent” but that he’s definitely improved compared to how he felt before the Bahrain race.
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc faces a 10-spot penalty in Saudi Arabia as Scuderia was forced to install a new electronic power pack (the other failed in Bahrain, resulting in Leclerc’s DNF) and although Monegasque conceded it wasn’t Best was way to start a season, the team just has to deal with it.
“This weekend we’re starting from the bottom but our aim is to do something special,” Leclerc told formula1.com. “I like this challenge of starting a little further back and trying to do something special and get back up there as soon as possible.”
McLaren: If Mercedes and Ferrari are troubled about how they’ve started 2023, McLaren must be in full blown crisis mode, right? A disastrous pre-season testing period resulted in a troubled race in Bahrain, leaving Oscar Piastri with a DNF and Lando Norris with six pit stops en route to a memorable finish. Norris has brushed aside comments about the team’s crisis and is confident they can catch Alfa Romeo and a few others for the lower points on the grid.
