Here’s a guide that tells you what you need to know about the Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix. It’s the fifth round of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
How to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on TV
— In the U.S., ESPN.
— Other countries are listed here.
What is the Saudi Arabian GP schedule?
– Friday: First and second practice.
– Saturday: Third practice and qualifying.
– Sunday: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 50 laps of the 6.2-kilometer (3.8-mile) Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Where is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix taking place?
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the newest venues on the F1 calendar after making its debut in 2021. Hosting F1 is part of Saudi Arabia’s push to become a major player in global sports. Jeddah is fast for a street circuit and walls close to the track mean the slightest error brings heavy punishment. It’s the second night race in a row after last week’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Max Verstappen is the only driver to win in Jeddah twice. Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have one win each.
What happened in the last race?
Oscar Piastri became the first driver to win two races this season with a dominant drive from pole position to victory. It was a dramatic race behind him as George Russell contended with electrical problems and held off Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris to take second. Verstappen had problems with his Red Bull and placed sixth. Norris leads the 2025 driver standings by three points from Piastri.
What do I need to know about F1 so far?
Get caught up:
— Oscar Piastri cruises to win at Bahrain Grand Prix, with Lando Norris third
— Lando Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren
— Concerns mount at Red Bull after Max Verstappen’s ‘catastrophe’ as F1 heads to Saudi Arabia
— FIA meeting on future F1 engines ends without a commitment to bringing back V10s
Key stats at Jeddah
58 — McLaren’s gap over its nearest challenger Mercedes in the constructors’ standings shows how it’s the only team to be consistently fast at all tracks so far.
69 — Verstappen has scored all but two of Red Bull’s 71 points this season. Yuki Tsunoda’s ninth place in Bahrain was the first time any of his teammates finished in the top 10 since November.
7 — Rookie Oliver Bearman made a splash on debut in Saudi Arabia last year with seventh place as an emergency stand-in for Ferrari. Now at Haas, that’s still Bearman’s best finish in F1.
What are they saying?
“I’m just nowhere near the capability that I have, which hurts to say.” — Lando Norris.
“We still have a lot of work to do on the car to get us where we need to be.” — Max Verstappen.
“I’d love to say so, but I don’t think we are, to be honest. McLaren are just too dominant right now.” — George Russell says Mercedes isn’t a title contender.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
