The fifth round of the F1 World Championship will take place in the Middle East, on the streets of the semi-permanent Jeddah circuit. It’s an extremely fast track, with an average speed close to 250 km/h. For the drivers, it represents a technical and sensitive challenge, as they race at high speeds just centimeters from the walls. It’s a thrilling test for Max Verstappen, who believes in the Jeddah round and wants to push his Red Bull to the limit there.
Over the 6+ km of the track, the cars must be consistent and predictable. This is an essential trait to handle the numerous high-speed direction changes. That requires a very precise front end, which Verstappen prefers, supported by a rear that follows through without excessive instability. While the RB21 still appears to have the first trait, the second could still be a weak spot for Red Bull.
Max closes the disappointing Bahrain chapter
Verstappen finished the Bahrain GP far from the podium and with a significant gap to Oscar Piastri, the race winner. A lack of grip and an RB21 that wasn’t always easy to handle made it difficult for Max Verstappen to complete the scheduled 57 laps.
“Bahrain was quite a tough weekend for us, and it didn’t go well at all. We had some issues that pushed us back, and there’s still a lot of work to do on the car to get to where we need to be. However, last year Jeddah was a good track for us, and it’s a fast semi-street circuit that’s fun to drive. Generally, tire degradation is lower at this circuit, so the race should be better for us. We have one last event to push through, since this is the third race and final weekend of the triple-header, so hopefully we can find more rhythm and get a performance similar to what we had in Japan.” – the four-time Formula 1 world champion explained ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend,
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