The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team enter the penultimate round of the championship at the first-ever Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the team still in contention for both titles, a single slip up this weekend though could see Lewis Hamilton’s reign come to an end.
Formula One ventures into a completely brand new circuit this weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, coming in at 6.1km with twenty-seven corners, it becomes the second longest and the second fastest circuit on the calendar. The fast and flowing street circuit should suit Mercedes perfectly, especially with Hamilton having his new engine from Brazil to use this weekend.
Hamilton will be looking to further close the gap on championship leader Max Verstappen, knowing though that a single slip-up could see him lose the championship in Saudi Arabia. This weekend looks set to be a thriller.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff is excited that the team are still in the fight for both titles, especially after where they were halfway through the season.
“Two races to go, and two Championships still to be decided. We are all excited to still be in the fight at this stage in the season, it’s a privilege and a testament to our resilience when we see where we stood in the early summer. Both titles are wide open, and our mission is clear. Last time out we saw a faultless drive by Lewis in Qatar, commanding the race from start to finish, and a strong recovery for Valtteri before the unfortunate puncture took him out of contention.
“The car has been performing well recently and is probably in the best place it has been all season, with the drivers confident to push it to the limit. That’s encouraging for the final races and gives us strong momentum to take forward. Jeddah is another completely new challenge, an all-new track to get to grips with and a lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure we hit the ground running on Friday, because getting as much information as we can during those initial sessions will be vital.
“It’s a fast street circuit with long flat-out sections and several high-speed corners, lined by barriers meaning it’ll be high risk and reward. We’re more motivated than ever and we expect to be in the hunt, so we are all looking forward to the debut grand prix in Saudi Arabia. Just a few days ago we lost Sir Frank Williams. He will be in all our thoughts this weekend and we’ll try our best to deliver a performance that’s worthy of his racing spirit.”