Formula 1. Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Hamilton will surprise everyone once again

Round 21 of Formula 1 will once again take place on an unfamiliar track for the drivers. The pilots will compete on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the first time ever. The last Qatar Grand Prix surprised everyone. Who will be the first to arrive this time?

This is the first time Saudi Arabia will host a Formula 1 race. The track was completed just recently, so it is a novelty for everyone. According to many analysts, this circuit is more suitable for Mercedes, which, of course, gave a little confidence to Hamilton, but he is now on a roll anyway.

Once Lewis got a new engine, he literally became unstoppable. He won the last two Grand Prix, and with a solid handicap. First in Brazil, Hamilton beat the second Verstappen by 10.496 seconds, which really impressed everyone, but in Qatar, did he render everyone speechless: Lewis was faster than Max for as much as 25.743 seconds. With such an upgrade Hamilton can create a comeback.

After winning in Qatar, Hamilton reduced the gap in the table from the first Verstappen. The difference between the competitors is now eight points, and it’s quite easy to equalize. Mercedes is already five points behind the Red Bull in the Constructors standings.

Russian driver Nikita Mazepin failed again. He finished 18th in Qatar, with Latifi and Bottas not finishing the race. He was as many as two laps behind the first Hamilton.

«The circuit is incredibly fast, and there's a lot of grip as well. But really, if you can get the rhythm, it's beautiful to drive. The traffic is definitely a lot worse than a lot of the places we go to. It's Monaco-esque, but the speed, the closing distance on other cars is definitely getting to a bit of a danger zone. We tried a couple of different things with the setup and made some changes between sessions, but I’m generally happy, though unsure which one I want to stay with. We’ll study through it and work with the guys at the factory to try and make sure we come with the correct setup. We’re not rapid on a single lap, I would say, compared to the others, but the long-run pace seemed like it was not too bad. On this track is difficult to go straight away at a good pace – you need to gradually increase the pace, but it was decent.»

Lewis Hamilton

«This track is noticeably different from where we had to race this season and not just that – I have never seen such tracks in my career. Confidence and knowledge of the configuration are important here, as many of the turns look the same. I was lucky this time I was able to make more laps than two weeks ago. I enjoyed piloting in Jeddah and I'm sure we can get more speed out of the car tomorrow».

Nikita Mazepin

The track is new for everyone, and it is difficult to choose the favorite. Still, we favor Hamilton. Lewis did really well in the last two races, and now he's obviously on fire. He also cannot afford losing, so that his main rival Max doesn’t increase the lead. In general, I think that Lewis Hamilton will come first.

Prediction: Hamilton will win the race.