Third consecutive weekend for Formula 1, as well as the 4th GP in a row on the Asian continent. Four editions of the Saudi Arabia GP have been contested so far.
The initial negotiations took place in August 2019, but the official agreement with SAMF was only finalized in November of the following year. The venue chosen was the streets of Jeddah, the country’s second-largest city after Riyadh, located on the shores of the Red Sea. It holds the record for its 27 corners, as well as its three DRS zones.
The GP data
According to Brembo technicians, who work closely with all Formula 1 drivers, the 6.174 km-long Jeddah Corniche Circuit falls into the category of tracks that are highly demanding on the braking system. On a scale from 1 to 5, it earned a difficulty rating of 4 because, despite having only 8 braking events, 6 of them are classified as High—meaning they are extremely stressful for the braking system. In one lap, drivers use the brakes for over 11 seconds, exerting an overall load on the brake pedal exceeding one ton.
The toughest corner
The most challenging corner for the braking system at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the first one, where speeds drop by over 200 km/h: the single-seaters decelerate from 317 km/h to 110 km/h over a distance of 122 meters, thanks to a braking phase lasting 2.47 seconds, with a brake pedal load of 159 kg. The braking force is 2,339 kW while the deceleration experienced by the drivers reaches up to 4.4 g.
From asphalt to off-road
Saudi Arabia hosted the last 6 editions of the Dakar, the world’s most renowned and demanding rally-raid. The 47th edition started on January 3rd from Bisha and concluded on January 17th in Shubaytah. It featured 335 vehicles at the start, but only 224 reached the finish line. Among the motorcycles, Daniel Sanders on a KTM prevailed; in the cars, Yazeed Al-Rajhi; and in the trucks, Martin Macik on an Iveco. The most successful driver in Dakar history is Stéphane Peterhansel, who has claimed 14 victories – the first 6 on motorcycles and the remaining ones in cars.
The brake discs for the Dakar
To tackle the 8,000 kilometers of the Dakar, the cars competing for the top positions are equipped with braking systems specifically designed for the occasion: unlike in rallying, these brakes can remain inactive for several minutes before engaging with a sudden, violent effort that could potentially deform the discs. To mitigate this risk, Brembo brake discs feature a cast-iron braking ring and an aluminum bell that allows them to expand without deforming. Their diameter is 355 mm and they can easily reach temperatures of up to 750 °C.
F1 brake discs
In Formula 1, cast-iron discs have not been used since the 1990s, having been replaced by more high-performing carbon discs. This material is extremely effective for the friction components of braking systems, though it is also very expensive and delicate—making it less suitable for off-road competitions like the Dakar. However, the diameter of F1 brake discs is lower than that used in rally-raid: between 325 mm and 330 mm for the front, and between 275 mm and 280 mm for the rear. Another key difference is the number of cooling vents: F1 brake discs can have up to 1,100 holes on the front and 900 on the rear.