McLaren Racing - Jeddah track guide

Wide and slow

Jeddah is a super-super-fast street circuit – but the first combination of corners is the slowest on the track with a clever left-right chicane before opening out into the faster part of the first sector. The entry into Turn One is quite wide and, with help from DRS, it’s probably the best overtaking spot on the track. One complication is that the pit-lane exits around the outside of Turn Two. This is the ‘stadium section’ of the circuit, with the track exiting out under a grandstand through Turn Three.

Wide and slow

Jeddah is a super-super-fast street circuit – but the first combination of corners is the slowest on the track with a clever left-right chicane before opening out into the faster part of the first sector. The entry into Turn One is quite wide and, with help from DRS, it’s probably the best overtaking spot on the track. One complication is that the pit-lane exits around the outside of Turn Two. This is the ‘stadium section’ of the circuit, with the track exiting out under a grandstand through Turn Three.

Foot down

After the first sequence of corners, the speed picks up. There’s a short straight to Turn Four, which is a quick left-hander, followed by a sequence of very fast, and then super-fast bends all the way to braking for Turn 10. Through here it’s very important to concentrate on the positioning of the car because it’s very easy to be off-line. The corners are all linked, and you have to be very accurate. This section will be a little more difficult at high-fuel than it will in qualifying spec. Turns Five, Six and Seven will be flat – or very close to it – in qualifying.

Foot down

After the first sequence of corners, the speed picks up. There’s a short straight to Turn Four, which is a quick left-hander, followed by a sequence of very fast, and then super-fast bends all the way to braking for Turn 10. Through here it’s very important to concentrate on the positioning of the car because it’s very easy to be off-line. The corners are all linked, and you have to be very accurate. This section will be a little more difficult at high-fuel than it will in qualifying spec. Turns Five, Six and Seven will be flat – or very close to it – in qualifying.

Quickstep

Turn 10 is a quick left-hander leading onto a short straight, with Turn 11 and Turn 12 easy-flat before braking for T13. It’s not really an overtaking spot – nothing is after Turn Two in this first half of the lap – because the speeds are very high and following closely will be very difficult.

Quickstep

Turn 10 is a quick left-hander leading onto a short straight, with Turn 11 and Turn 12 easy-flat before braking for T13. It’s not really an overtaking spot – nothing is after Turn Two in this first half of the lap – because the speeds are very high and following closely will be very difficult.

Take it to the bank

Turn 13 is slightly banked (12 degrees). The entry is very fast, and it will be difficult as the profile requires the car to begin braking and turning at the same time. Having a camber on the corner will allow drivers to keep the speed up all the way through what is a very, very long fourth-gear corner as the track loops back upon itself. The speeds, the proximity of the walls and the fact there isn’t much run-off make the whole track daunting – but it’s especially apparent at the exit of Turn 13 where you need to run close to the wall.

Take it to the bank

Turn 13 is slightly banked (12 degrees). The entry is very fast, and it will be difficult as the profile requires the car to begin braking and turning at the same time. Having a camber on the corner will allow drivers to keep the speed up all the way through what is a very, very long fourth-gear corner as the track loops back upon itself. The speeds, the proximity of the walls and the fact there isn’t much run-off make the whole track daunting – but it’s especially apparent at the exit of Turn 13 where you need to run close to the wall.

Light it up

The first half of the lap is very, very fast and the second half is… faster! Turns 14 and 15 are easy-flat but there will be a small dab on the brakes for the fast chicane at Turns 16 and 17, taken in fourth, or perhaps fifth, gear.

Light it up

The first half of the lap is very, very fast and the second half is… faster! Turns 14 and 15 are easy-flat but there will be a small dab on the brakes for the fast chicane at Turns 16 and 17, taken in fourth, or perhaps fifth, gear.

In the zone

The exit from Turn 17 is very important because the track is flat-out all the way through Turns 18, 19, 20 and 21 and the next time you brake will be for Turn 22. The run from Turn 20 to Turn 22 will be the first of three consecutive DRS zones, covering a distance of 530m.

In the zone

The exit from Turn 17 is very important because the track is flat-out all the way through Turns 18, 19, 20 and 21 and the next time you brake will be for Turn 22. The run from Turn 20 to Turn 22 will be the first of three consecutive DRS zones, covering a distance of 530m.

Fast chicanery

Approach speeds into Turn 22 will be very high before braking into what is another very quick chicane. Similar to T16-17 but perhaps a little quicker, this will be fourth or fifth gear – which is rapid for a chicane!

Fast chicanery

Approach speeds into Turn 22 will be very high before braking into what is another very quick chicane. Similar to T16-17 but perhaps a little quicker, this will be fourth or fifth gear – which is rapid for a chicane!

Water hazard

After the chicane, the track is full throttle again all the way to the final corner. Water on both sides here! The second DRS zone will stretch from Turn 25 to Turn 27, covering a total of 725m around the lagoon. The last corner is… tricky. You arrive very quickly but the corner is quite open and taken in third gear. While I’d expect Turn One to be the main overtaking opportunity, Turn 27 is also a possibility with the DRS. I suspect they might work in combination: setting the overtake up in T27 and making it stick down in T1, by forcing the defending driver to go defensive into the final corner. If the attacker can’t get by here, they’ll get a second bite down into T1.

Water hazard

After the chicane, the track is full throttle again all the way to the final corner. Water on both sides here! The second DRS zone will stretch from Turn 25 to Turn 27, covering a total of 725m around the lagoon. The last corner is… tricky. You arrive very quickly but the corner is quite open and taken in third gear. While I’d expect Turn One to be the main overtaking opportunity, Turn 27 is also a possibility with the DRS. I suspect they might work in combination: setting the overtake up in T27 and making it stick down in T1, by forcing the defending driver to go defensive into the final corner. If the attacker can’t get by here, they’ll get a second bite down into T1.

Oliver's overview

The track map says there are 27 corners on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but that number is misleading. This isn’t a circuit like Singapore where 23 corners means 23 corners – in Jeddah the drivers will, in reality, only be braking at T1, T4, T10, T13, T16, T22 and T27. The rest of the circuit is just blazingly quick.

The existing circuit this is most like is Baku – in the sense it’s a high-speed street circuit – but it doesn’t really stand much comparison. Baku has a lot of heavy braking and 90-degree corners that aren’t particularly fast: here most of the corners are high speed with only light use of the brake pedal. It’s by far the fastest street circuit out there.

Baku is also a circuit for a low-drag car but here the number of fast corners will compel teams to pile on more downforce. The first section in particular is not easy-flat and will need the wing. On the other hand, lower downforce will be useful to attack and defend. There needs to be a balance. Overtaking won’t be straightforward.

Will the track be tough on the tyres? That will very much depend on the tarmac which, on a new circuit, is something on an unknown quantity. The layout suggests the loads on the tyres will be high, so you would expect it to be tough – but until the cars are out on track, you won’t really know how tough.

Oliver's overview

The track map says there are 27 corners on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but that number is misleading. This isn’t a circuit like Singapore where 23 corners means 23 corners – in Jeddah the drivers will, in reality, only be braking at T1, T4, T10, T13, T16, T22 and T27. The rest of the circuit is just blazingly quick.

The existing circuit this is most like is Baku – in the sense it’s a high-speed street circuit – but it doesn’t really stand much comparison. Baku has a lot of heavy braking and 90-degree corners that aren’t particularly fast: here most of the corners are high speed with only light use of the brake pedal. It’s by far the fastest street circuit out there.

Baku is also a circuit for a low-drag car but here the number of fast corners will compel teams to pile on more downforce. The first section in particular is not easy-flat and will need the wing. On the other hand, lower downforce will be useful to attack and defend. There needs to be a balance. Overtaking won’t be straightforward.

Will the track be tough on the tyres? That will very much depend on the tarmac which, on a new circuit, is something on an unknown quantity. The layout suggests the loads on the tyres will be high, so you would expect it to be tough – but until the cars are out on track, you won’t really know how tough.