JEDDAH: Some of the world’s top drivers including Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Isack Hadjar are geared up for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah this weekend.
At a press conference on Thursday, Red Bull’s Verstappen, the defending champion, said: “I hope it will be better than Bahrain (where he finished sixth), there are high-speed corners with a different asphalt.
“And I hope we will be more competitive. Here we have always done one stop but we will see how the tires hold up, it will be quite hot. We are making an improvement process.”
Aston Martin’s Alonso said: “The first few weekends have not been easy for us but I think the high-speed nature of Jeddah should suit us better.
“We are still discovering the car, the first GPs showed that the slow corners were our weak points but there were other concerns about bouncing and we are still working on it.
“Here there is much more grip and it should be a better weekend. I think in Formula 1 there is never a quick fix to solve the problems but we have some ideas, some are related to the set-up that we will try this weekend.”
Red Bull Junior Hadjar shared his excitement about racing in Jeddah: “Bahrain wasn’t as good as the previous two GPs. I don’t think our level was that low and I think this track will suit us better.
“Every track is always impressive for the first time, I think I got into the rhythm straight away and I’m looking forward to trying the track here, especially the first sector.”
Several other drivers also spoke to the media on Thursday including Williams’ Alex Albon, Haas’ Ollie Bearman and Stake’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
