#F1 average speed drivers#
#F1 average speed full#

While that might seem a recipe for blandness, it isn’t because there’s the chance to focus on the myriad factors that actually make a great track. The best tracks provide a blend of challenges and that can often produce the most interesting racing too. That in itself isn’t a problem but the desire to have some halo characteristic for so many new tracks – the fastest street circuit, the longest straight, the biggest hill, the ‘oh look there’s an expensive hotel on top of it’ – isn’t necessarily best serving F1. It’s the second-fastest track on the calendar with 27 turns – it’s very ‘bigger, faster, more’.

That’s a positive, but it is another circuit that matches the relatively recent trend of every track having to have its own USP.

#F1 average speed full#

The Jeddah Cornish Circuit appears to be a distinctive and challenging circuit, one that’s a far cry from the typical street track full of 90-degree turns. Is bigger/faster/more really necessary? Edd Straw This is not a great time to lose too many laps with accidents, incidents or reliability problems.ĭrivers who keeps their noses clean will benefit the most.

#F1 average speed drivers#

Otherwise, it will be down to the three dreaded DRS zones.Ī new circuit and a new surface means that the drivers and teams will all be getting a better understanding with every lap run. However, it does have a couple of switchback corners where if you can get side by side with another car, real overtaking might just be possible. You will need a good high-speed balance for those otherwise you will just eat up the tyres. This is one race where we won’t be complaining about track limits, as other than a few run-off areas these are self-defining.įrom the simulation I have seen, all the fast sweeping corners look fairly blind. If predictions are anything to go by, we are looking at almost 80% full throttle and in excess of 155mph average speed – and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a bit faster than that.Īt those speeds, and with walls lining the circuit, there is no room for error otherwise you pay the price very quickly. There is nothing that gets your attention like a high-speed street circuit. What has been created in Saudi Arabia has the potential to be one of the best ‘new’ – or at least modern – tracks F1 will race at this year. It might be even faster than the simulations Gary Anderson This should at least be spectacular to watch and guarantees an ever-present threat. This is almost like sector three from Baku but as an entire lap. And with no run-off in places, the punishing nature of street tracks may well be exaggerated this weekend. And 79% of the lap will be spent at full throttle.ĭec 01 : Verstappen v Hamilton: what will decide the title fight The three DRS zones and various ‘straights’ will boost the lap’s average speed past 150mph. Across the 27 official corners (many are flat out sweeps) there is an average cornering speed of 143.5mph. Mercedes issues a preview of each event where it gives various stats and a circuit map featuring cornering speed estimates.įrankly, Jeddah’s numbers are absurd. That was the whole point when the track was first unveiled.īut whether it’s the distraction of the title fight, the fact the circuit’s been in a race against time to be finished, or just that grand predictions a year out from the race don’t really hit that hard – I wasn’t prepared for some of the numbers that have emerged this week.

It’s not a surprise that the Jeddah track’s going to be very fast. Here are our thoughts so far: Baku’s fast sector as an entire circuit Scott Mitchell What does that mean for the penultimate round of this incredible championship? As Formula 1’s inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has drawn closer and teams have released more information about their expectations, it’s become clear that the Jeddah track is going to be very different to anything else on the calendar.