Jeddah’s Nighttime Thrills: F1’s 2023 Saudi Showdown – Start time / TV

Experience the exhilarating Saudi Arabian F1 2023, as Jeddah hosts Formula 1 season’s second round, featuring Red Bull and Aston Martin contenders.

The 2023 Formula 1 season proceeds this weekend in Saudi Arabia, where Jeddah holds the campaign’s second round.

Heading into the weekend, Red Bull aims to maintain its dominant performance against other competitors, having achieved a comfortable 1-2 victory during the previous race in Bahrain.

Aston Martin will be in the spotlight, as Fernando Alonso’s remarkable podium finish during the race and Lance Stroll’s resilient sixth place despite injury caught attention.

This year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix marks the third visit to Jeddah for the series, with the past two events delivering unforgettable race weekends.

Enthusiasts are eager for the third edition to bring about another thrilling grand prix, potentially igniting the 2023 championship battle.

Track activities will occur quite late according to local time, with the race on Sunday being a nighttime event.

Please find the session times and their respective starting hours below.

Session	Date	Time (Local)	Time (GMT)	Time (ET)
FP1	Friday, March 17	16:30 – 17:30	13:30 – 14:30	09:30 – 10:30
FP2	Friday, March 17	20:00 – 21:00	17:00 – 18:00	13:00 – 14:00
FP3	Saturday, March 18	16:30 – 17:30	13:30 – 14:30	09:30 – 10:30
Qualifying	Saturday, March 18	20:00 – 21:00	17:00 – 18:00	13:00 – 14:00
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Sunday, March 19	20:00	17:00	13:00

Roster of Drivers and Teams

Team	Engine	Car	Drivers	Driver No.
Red Bull	Red Bull	RB19	Max Verstappen	1
			Sergio Perez	11
Ferrari	Ferrari	TBA	Charles Leclerc	16
			Carlos Sainz	55
Mercedes	Mercedes	W14	Lewis Hamilton	44
			George Russell	63
Alpine	Renault	A523	Esteban Ocon	31
			Pierre Gasly	10
McLaren	Mercedes	MCL60	Lando Norris	4
			Oscar Piastri	81
Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	C43	Valtteri Bottas	77
			Guanyu Zhou	24
Aston Martin	Mercedes	AMR23	Fernando Alonso	14
			Lance Stroll	18
Haas	Ferrari	VF-23	Kevin Magnussen	20
			Nico Hulkenberg	27
AlphaTauri	Red Bull	AT04	Yuki Tsunoda	22
			Nyck de Vries	21
Williams	Mercedes	FW45	Alex Albon	23
			Logan Sargeant	2

All the excitement in the UK and Ireland will be broadcast live, with highlights accessible free-to-air later in the day.

Live Viewing: Sky Sports F1 will air each session live, including pre- and post-session coverage for qualifying and the race.

Highlights: Channel 4 will offer highlight programs for the qualifying and race sessions, several hours after the live event concludes on Sky Sports.

Live Streaming: Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action via the Sky Go app, which needs an internet connection to use. Alternatively, they can access it through NOW TV.

In Jeddah, on-track events begin with Friday’s practice sessions, proceed with Saturday’s qualifying, and culminate in Sunday’s main race. Remember these crucial dates and starting times:

Television Broadcast Schedule – Sky F1 & Channel 4

Day	Event	Time
Friday	FP1	13:00
	FP2	16:45
Saturday	FP3	13:15
	Qualifying	16:00
Sunday	Bahrain Grand Prix	15:30

Channel 4

Day	Event	Time
Saturday	Qualifying	20:50
Sunday	Bahrain Grand Prix	22:15

The Jeddah race on Sunday will be broadcast live across major markets, reaching billions of viewers – the popular Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’ has only heightened F1 interest.

Refer to your local schedules for specific times, but the present F1 rights-holding broadcasters include:

Country	Broadcaster
UK	Sky Sports
US	ESPN
Italy	Sky Sport F1
Germany	Sky Sport F1
France	Canal+, Canal+ Sport
Spain	DAZN F1
Netherlands	Viaplay Xtra
Brazil	TV Bandeirantes, BandSports
Australia	Fox Sports
Canada	RDS, TSN
Japan	DAZN

Streaming the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:

F1TV, the sport’s dedicated streaming platform, will provide coverage of the event in regions where the service is accessible.

You can find the list of countries where F1 TV Pro is available by visiting this link

Weather

Jeddah Weather Forecast: As of now, the race weekend forecast indicates three sunny days without any rain threats.

Temperatures on all three days will reach highs of 32C, with a slight drop in temperature during early-evening sessions on Friday and Saturday, as well as the race on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Winners: This race is relatively new, with the upcoming event marking only its third edition. Lewis Hamilton secured the first victory in 2021 for Mercedes, while Max Verstappen won in 2022 for Red Bull.

Track

The Track: Jeddah Corniche Circuit: The 6.174km temporary street circuit along Jeddah’s coastline, designed by Herman Tilke, debuted at the 2021 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Sunday’s race consists of 50 laps, making it the second-longest circuit on the F1 calendar after Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

Lewis Hamilton set the current lap record of 1:30.734 in 2021, and the track boasts an impressive average speed of around 250kmh, faster than Silverstone. Ross Brawn once praised the circuit, stating that it challenges drivers and offers a thrilling experience.

Tyres

Tyres for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Pirelli offers six tyre compounds for 2023, with three used at each race. The compounds selected for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix are:

• C2, White (Hard)
• C3, Yellow (Medium)
• C4, Red (Soft)

Teams will receive two sets of Hard tyres, three sets of Medium, and eight sets of Softs, in addition to the usual Intermediate and full Wet tyres.

Saudi Arabian F1 2023 Saudi Arabian F1 2023 Saudi Arabian F1 2023

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