Why Saudi Arabian GP could throw up a different F1 mix to Bahrain

Certainly, the first two contests on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit haven’t been short of talking points. See Verstappen clipping the wall in 2021 to scupper his hitherto sensational Q3 lap before the title battle with Lewis Hamilton took another heated turn, as the protagonists repeatedly went wheel-to-wheel between red flags before their infamous collision.

Then, last year, after the very credible threat of a driver boycott in response to the nearby missile strike…