By Aljohara Zarea
JEDDAH — The Corniche Circuit, the fastest street circuit ever in Formula 1, is all set to witness three days of excitement by hosting the STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023. The F1 race, which Jeddah is hosting for the third time, will take place this weekend — the 17th, 18th, and 19th of March.
The circuit, which is 6.174 km long, has an average speed around 250km/h – quicker than those at Silverstone, and second only to Monza, which is also known as ‘The Temple of Speed’. The track distinguishes by having most corners on the calendar with 27, many of them quick, sinuous bends.
The world’s fastest and longest street circuit fascinates the drivers as they compete on the coast of the Red Sea and along the Jeddah waterfront.
Jeddah comes second in the Formula 1 calendar for 2023 after the race in Bahrain , in which Dutch driver Max Verstappen snatched the title deservedly from his rivals.
Twenty drivers, from 10 teams are ready to compete for the title. The 2023 season saw a trio of rookies to race in Formula 1, who are: Logan Sargeant (Williams), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), and Nyck de Vries (Scuderia AlphaTauri).
None of Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Alfa Romeo teams saw any changes for 2023.
As for Haas, Nico Hulkenberg has replaced Mick Schumacher starting from the 2023 season.
Dutch driver Nyck de Vries has joined Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2023, as he will drive alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
As for McLaren, Oscar Piastri has joined the team to race in 2023. Piastri is FIA Formula 2 Champion. He will ride with Norris who has the longest F1 contract that he signed with McLaren till 2025.
While Williams has a new driver to be alongside Alex Albon — Logan Sargeant, who was the best of the three rookies at the 2023 season opening in Bahrain.
BWT Alpine has seen a many changes, as Fernando Alonso opted to leave the team for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team in 2023.
Their reserve Oscar Piastri decided that McLaren is the team where he wanted to make his F1 debut. Pierre Gasly has finally joined the team to partner Esteban Ocon in 2023.
Several changes were made this year, including more flexibility to cool fuel, with some extra freedom given to teams regarding the cooling of fuel, particularly at
hot races.
According to Formula 1 rules and regulations for 2023, fuel in a car must not be colder than the lowest of either 10 degrees centigrade below ambient temperature, or 10 degrees centigrade (this being cut from 20 degrees) at any time when the car is running after leaving the designated garage area.
Amendments have also been made to safety standards for the F1 car's roll hoops, after the frightening crash experienced by Zhou Guanyu at the start of the 2022 British Grand Prix, which involved his Alfa Romeo sliding along the track upside down.
The rear-view mirrors have been changed on the 2023-spec F1 cars, with the width of the reflective surface increased by 50mm from 150mm to 200mm, with the aim of increasing driver visibility.
