JEDDAH — The STC Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 activities, which represents the second round of the Formula 1 World Championship, will start on Friday and will be hosted by the latest, longest and fastest street circuit on the Formula 1 calendar in Jeddah from 25 to 27 March, with the participation of 20 competitors representing 10 teams.
Saudi Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, said: “I am proud of what has been accomplished by the Saudi Grand Prix, which presented a global event worthy of the Kingdom’s established position as a new home for motorsports in the world.”
“I am confident that this event is implemented in a way that reflects our ambitions and aspirations for this year’s event compared to the success that was achieved in the previous version, especially with the organization of the race for the second time in just four months.”
"I have great confidence in the capabilities of the Saudi citizens who will continue the path of successes achieved by the sports sector in the Kingdom, which has crossed global standards, and is the fruit of the unlimited support that we received from the Crown Prince,” Prince Abdulaziz added.
For his part, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation of Cars and Motorcycles and the Saudi Motor Sports Company, confirmed the completion of all preparations and building on the achievements made in the first race last December 2021 to embody the Kingdom’s prosperous present and its bright future.
“Organizing the race again in less than 4 months reflects the ability of the young men and women of the Kingdom to organize the largest and international events in the best possible way.”
A total of 20 drivers representing 10 teams will compete in the Formula 1 STC Saudi Grand Prix, including Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Lando Norris, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, George Russell, Nicholas Latifi, Alexander Albon, Zhou Guanyu, Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen, while the list of teams includes Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, McLaren, Alpine, Alpha Tauri, Aston Martin, Williams, Alfa Romeo Racing, and Haas F1 Team.
The activities will start on Friday afternoon, starting with the "Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East" First Practice taking place at 1:10 PM, while the F2 Practice Session will start at 2:25 PM, followed by the F1 pit stop exercises. Meanwhile, the F1 First Practice Session will start at 5:00 PM, with the qualifying session for Formula 2 starting at 6:25 PM, and at 8:00 PM the second F1 Second Practice Session will kick-off, followed by the Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East Second Practice.
Saturday will witness a similar schedule to the day before, while the qualifying round begins at 8:00 PM for one hour. At 8:00 PM, Sunday, March 27, the Saudi Grand Prix starts for up to two hours. — SG
