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The F1 circus will move to Jeddah to host the annual Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, ending the first triple header of the 2025 season. McLaren has had a bright start to the new campaign, leading the Constructors' Championship from Mercedes, and has a 1-2 in the driver's title race.
The Woking-based outfit currently has the fastest car on the grid and has won three of the first four races. Oscar Piastri leads his teammate Lando Norris with two races to one, while Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix.
However, there have been some chinks in the armor of the reigning world champions as was evidenced by Norris's struggles in the Bahrain qualifying session. Despite having a superior car, the British driver couldn't make quick headway and had a messy race to finish in P3, which showcased the limited margin of error for the MCL39.
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Heading into Jeddah, the warm weather conditions could once again play to the advantage of McLaren, but it could have closer competition from Ferrari and Mercedes. As per Weather.com, below is the weather forecast for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix:
Friday - FP1 and FP2
Forecast: Sunny skies throughout the day.
Temperature: 30C / 86F
Chance of precipitation: Less than 5%
Saturday - FP3 and Qualifying
Forecast: Clear skies at night with warmer temperatures than Friday.
Temperature: 31C / 88F
Chance of precipitation: Less than 5%
Sunday - Race
Forecast: Mostly clear sky with over 50% humidity.
Highest temperature: 31C/ 88F
Chance of precipitation: Less than 5%
Ferrari F1 driver reflects on its upgrade package ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said he and the Italian team would understand more about the floor upgrades package at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, as the Sakhir International Circuit was not the most representative. As per F1.com, the eight-time F1 race winner said:
"In general, there is not a particular type of corner where we are lacking, we just need more grip all around. We will understand our upgrade better in Jeddah next week, I look forward to finding out what we will learn about it there."
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur also previewed the race in Jeddah and said:
"We are where we are: McLaren is still a step ahead but we were fighting with them in the second stint and we have been able to fight with both Mercedes and Red Bulls. We’ll keep working to be more competitive in the next races, starting in Saudi Arabia next week."
Ferrari has finished on the podium in the last three editions of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc finishing in P2 in 2022 and P3 in 2023 and 2024.
