The first race weekend in Bahrain saw only one winner, Max Verstappen. The Dutchman also won most of the bonuses available at Fanta F1, leaving crumbs to his opponents. Could there be more battle in Saudi Arabia? Let's see the Fanta F1 advice for this second race weekend of the season which will be held in the fast one city circuit of Jeddah.
Awaiting drivers and teams in Saudi Arabia is a track completely different from that of Bahrain, a very fast street circuit delimited by walls. Getting as close as possible to them gives an advantage but exposes the drivers to a considerable risk, especially in qualifying where they seek their limit. Last year a Red Bull won here, but not Verstappen's, but Sergio Perez's.
Ferrari or Red Bull?
In Jeddah Ferrari will have to deal with an important test. In fact, the true strengths of the SF-24 did not fully emerge in Bahrain, although it demonstrated a clear improvement over the previous single-seater. Compared to Bahrain, the characteristics of the circuit should match better with the Red team, which wants to redeem itself especially with Charles Leclerc who, due to a brake problem in Bahrain, was unable to obtain more than fourth position. The Monegasque will also be called upon to make a difference in qualifying, his hunting ground. But he will have to defend himself in the race from Red Bull ready to take advantage of their DRS to recover in the event of a bad qualifying. Choosing between Leclerc and Verstappen at Fanta F1 is like choosing between mum and dad. Two extremely important figures, who for one reason or another are essential.
Last weekend in Bahrain Verstappen got the better of everyone. The top 5 in Bahrain was therefore made up of him flanked by Carlos Sainz and the three drivers with the lowest cost: Sargeant, Hulkenberg and Magnussen. In Jeddah Ferrari can get even closer to the Austrian team who confirmed the one-two with Sergio Perez. If you want to take a risk you could bet on a all in Ferrari, with Leclerc and Sainz in the team. Paired with drivers like Daniel Ricciardo, Zhou and Hulkenberg.
Risky? Definitely, but this is perhaps one of the first real opportunities that the Maranello team can have as it is still relatively close to Red Bull. Furthermore, at Fanta F1 the YawClub Community club rankings start counting from the third Grand Prix. Also worth considering is a possible lineup that includes a McLaren that struggled in Bahrain, but that in Jeddah finds a valid ally in the fast corners.
The mid-grid is equally interesting, with Aston Martin, Racing Bulls, Williams, Haas ready to fight for the last places in the points. Racing Bulls, after a disappointing performance in Bahrain, brought some updates, as did Haas. Williams proved to be competitive in the medium/high speed sectors and could use a good qualifying to attack the top 10.
Our top 5 for the Jeddah GP
For this occasion we propose two formations, a more "safe" one with Verstappen as captain, and a more risky one. The safe one is made up of VERSTAPPEN – SAINZ- SARGEANT – HULKENBERG – MAGNUSSEN. The same one that obtained the highest number of points in Bahrain with 100 credits. The more risky one is instead composed of LECLERC – NORRIS – RICCIARDO – SARGEANT – HULKENBERG.
The forecast for the Jeddah GP
Safety Car: YES
Virtual Safety Car: YES
Red Flag: YES
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: DO NOT
Team double in the race: DO NOT
Driver who starts on pole wins the race: SI
Stables to bring both riders into the top 10: 4
Drivers forced to retire: 3
