JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Here's a guide that tells you what you need to know about Sunday's Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix. It's the fifth round of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
How to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on TV
— In the U.S., ESPN.
— Other countries are listed here.
What is the remainder of the Saudi Arabian GP schedule?
– Saturday: Third practice and qualifying.
– Sunday: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 50 laps of the 6.2-kilometer (3.8-mile) Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Starts at 1900 GMT (1 p.m. ET)
Where is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix taking place?
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the newest venues on the F1 calendar after making its debut in 2021. Hosting F1 is part of Saudi Arabia's push to become a major player in global sports. Jeddah is fast for a street circuit and walls close to the track mean the slightest error brings heavy punishment. It's the second night race in a row after last week's Bahrain Grand Prix. Max Verstappen is the only driver to win in Jeddah twice. Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have one win each.
What happened in the last race?
Oscar Piastri became the first driver to win two races this season with a dominant drive from pole position to victory in Bahrain. It was a dramatic race behind him as George Russell contended with electrical problems and held off Piastri's teammate Lando Norris to take second. Verstappen had problems with his Red Bull and placed sixth. Norris leads the 2025 driver standings by three points from Piastri.
What happened in Friday practice in Saudi Arabia?
Norris set the fastest time of the day in second practice and was only .007 of a second off Pierre Gasly in the first session. His McLaren teammate Piastri also had strong pace. Verstappen recovered from handling problems earlier in the day to be third fastest in the second session. Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda was unhurt in a crash which brought out the red flag.
What do I need to know about F1 so far?
Get caught up:
— The F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren's drivers but Max Verstappen is still hopeful
— Oscar Piastri cruises to win at Bahrain Grand Prix, with Lando Norris third
— Max Verstappen says he’s ‘relaxed’ despite speculation about his Formula 1 future
— Lando Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren
— Concerns mount at Red Bull after Max Verstappen’s ‘catastrophe’ as F1 heads to Saudi Arabia
Key stats at Jeddah
58 — McLaren's gap over its nearest challenger Mercedes in the constructors' standings shows how it's the only team to be consistently fast at all tracks so far.
69 — Verstappen has scored all but two of Red Bull's 71 points this season. Tsunoda's ninth place in Bahrain was the first time any of his teammates finished in the top 10 since November.
7 — Rookie Oliver Bearman made a splash on debut in Saudi Arabia last year with seventh place as an emergency stand-in for Ferrari. Now at Haas, that's still Bearman's best finish in F1.
What they said after practice
“The competition doesn’t seem far away, so we need to iron out a couple of things to put us in the best place for qualifying.” — Piastri
“I think we learned a lot from the sessions today, but it is still not quite where we want the car to be.” — Verstappen
“It’s not controversial to say that McLaren looked like they were clear in front but I’m hopeful we can be in the fight for best of the rest once again as we head into the weekend.” — Mercedes driver Russell
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The Associated Press
