2022 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Predictions & Race Preview
Second race in Formula 1 calendar will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This grand prix debuted in December last year when the victory went to Lewis Hamilton. For this time, it was decided to run the race in the first part of the year, instead of end of the season, so the difference between the two events is only four months.
Track was designed by Carsten Tilke, son of the far more famous Hermann Tilke, who designed a large number of tracks on which Formula 1 is currently driven.
Two important things characterize this circuit. First, this is the second track in average speed, just behind Monza. Drivers drive an average of about 250km/h in Jeddah. Secondly, this is the second longest track with over 6.1km per lap. Only Spa-Francorchamps is longer.
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Ferrari vs Red Bull
For the past eight years, Mercedes has completely dominated Formula 1. They have won eight constructors and seven drivers titles. Their perfect score was spoiled by Max Verstappen, who won the title last year in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Between two seasons, there were some of the biggest changes in the history of Formula 1. The cars were created from scratch, with a much modified floors design and it was an opportunity for all teams to find a loophole and make an advantage.
What kind of work teams did, we saw in the Bahrain Grand Prix six days ago. It turned out that Ferrari had by far the greatest progress. Pole position, fastest lap and victory in the race went to Charles Leclerc. Second place went to Carlos Sainz, another Ferrari driver.
The only competitor for Ferrari in Bahrain was Red Bull. Max Verstappen was second and Sergio Perez fourth in qualifying. In the race, they both held the first four positions almost to the end. However, they both had to retire their cars due to fuel pressure problems. Verstappen withdraw from the race four laps before the end and Perez two.
Rest of the grid was not competitive in the fight for victory. Mercedes stood out as the third best team, and due to breakdowns on Red Bull cars, Lewis Hamilton was third and Geroge Russell fourth.
Certain is that Ferrari’s PU is much better than Mercedes PU and that can be seen in the teams that were supplied with these engines. Three Mercedes customers (McLaren, Williams and Aston Martin) had a disastrous weekend, while Ferrari customers (Haas and Alfa Romeo) were the most pleasant surprise and the teams that showed the most progress.
If we draw conclusion on the first race basis, this year we will have a fight between Ferrari and Red Bull for wins, because Mercedes is simply not at that level, at least not yet. If the power unit is really a big problem, it is not something that can be fixed overnight.
2022 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Predictions
Pick: Virtual Safety Car Period During Race – YES
Odds: 1.66
Bookmaker: Bet365
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Track in Saudi Arabia runs on the streets of Jeddah and is very narrow. Tiny mistakes could lead to a crash, which automatically means that a safety car must come out on the track or a virtual safety car must be activated.
Virtual safety car is used for lower intensity incidents, and given the physiognomy of the track, there is no doubt that we will see at least a few.
Last year, race was interrupted as many as twice due to big incidents, and the virtual safety car was used four times. Therefore, we believe that it will be used at least once this time.
Additional F1 Saudi Arabia Predictions
Pierre Gasly Top 6 finish – 2.50
Pierre Gasly has established himself as one of the best drivers from midfield and he us used to finish qualifying in the top 10. Honda’s PU is along Ferrari best one and it is almost certain that this Alpha Tauri driver will have a good starting position in sunday. If he drives a clean race without incident, he could very easily be among the top six drivers.
Alpha Tauri Both Cars Point Finish – 2.25
If you want a safer bet, then you can bet that both Alpha Tauri drivers will finish in the top 10. Reason for Gasly is explained, and the same is with Yuki Tsonuda.
Alpha Tauri has one of the top five cars at the moment and both drivers will surely have a good starting position. The only task will be to finish the race without incident, which is challenging on a track like this.
