“Jeddah is the biggest unknown” of the season for Mario Isola and Pirelli

The penultimate Grand Prix of an epic 2021 season, Saudi Arabia and its Jeddah urban circuit will give Pirelli a tough time. The Italian manufacturer arrives with many questions about a route that has just been completed for the occasion. It also announced the introduction of the three middle tires in its range: the C2 for hard tires, the C3 for mediums, and the C4 for soft compounds. The most common choice of the year, but which can say a lot about Pirelli's intentions (or not) this weekend.

Jeddah, an ultra-fast route with many curves

For the second time in the space of three weeks, the Formula 1 is therefore preparing to discover a new circuit (after the Qatar Grand Prix on the Losail track). This time, the situation is very different compared to its Qatari neighbor. The figures announced are beyond belief. The average speed of a lap in Jeddah reaches peaks, more than 250 km/h, very close to Monza, the “Temple of Speed”, while its numerous turns (27) make it the most curved track in the world. 'year. Not to mention its length (6,174 km), the second longest on the calendar behind Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).

“Jeddah is an even newer experience (than Qatar) because the track has just been completed, with very little data to rely on, can we read in the Pirelli press release. Existing data and team simulations suggest that the three intermediate compounds in the range are the best option for Jeddah and should be well suited to the demands of this very fast and fluid street race, contested over 50 laps. »

Designed by Hermann Tilke, the illustrious architect behind numerous F1 circuits, the Jeddah track confirms the return of F1 to an urban track, the latest of which is none other than the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, last June. The numerous curves that make up the track will be as many stress factors for the tires as they will be questions for Pirelli representatives in Saudi Arabia, as can be seen in the latest statements from its director, Mario Isola:

“Jeddah is probably the biggest unknown we face this year, with the circuit being completed very shortly before the race, explains the head of the F1 and motor racing department at Pirelli. Therefore, we can only rely on F1 and team simulations, as well as other information we have collected, to make our nomination. This street circuit promises to be very different from all the others, and the high speeds with fast corners will obviously play an important role in the behavior of the tires. »

“Jeddah has more corners than any other circuit on the calendar, and one of them – turn 13 – also has a 12-degree bank, so there are lots of different elements that will work the hard tires. »

Never used before, the Jeddah track will hold even more surprises at the start of the weekend for F1. But with the return of F2 and several races Porsche, the evolution of the track could go much faster than expected. To be continued.