Talking points ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

It's take two for FORMULA 1® in 2023 with the series' third visit to the super-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where nine teams have one goal in mind – rein in Red Bull Racing after Max Verstappen's dominant win in Bahrain a fortnight ago.

Verstappen won on the Saudi streets this time 12 months ago too, but didn't have it all his own way, the Dutchman narrowly beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc after a thrilling late-race battle that saw the lead change hands four times in the closing laps.

Here are three talking points we're watching ahead of this weekend.

Are Red Bull really this far ahead?

Verstappen's win in Bahrain – his first at the circuit and Red Bull's first victory to open a season in 12 years – was scarily dominant and historically significant. Verstappen led 54 of the 57 laps (teammate Sergio Perez led the other three in the first pit stop phase) and eased up to win by over 11 seconds; the first non-Red Bull finisher was Fernando Alonso, whose Aston Martin was over 38 seconds adrift in third at the chequered flag. Not since Australia 1998 – when McLaren's Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard lapped the entire field in Melbourne up to and including third-place Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Williams) – has a season-opener been so dominated by one team. Saying that, Bahrain – with its succession of slow-speed corners into long straights and the resultant extreme tyre degradation – is a very

Will Ferrari get back in the game?

Bahrain made for grim viewing for fans of the Scuderia; Leclerc qualified third after sacrificing a final run in qualifying to save tyres for the race, but his Ferrari chewed its Pirelli rubber to the extent that the Monegasque was 25 seconds behind Verstappen when his car's power unit failed with 17 laps left. Saudi, though, offers some salvation – at least on paper. Ferrari's weakness in slow-speed traction zones was harshly exposed in Bahrain, and while the Jeddah circuit contains more corners (27) than any other track on the calendar, all but three (Turns 1, 13 and 27) are of the high-speed variety. In cooler temperatures at night and with asphalt less abrasive than Bahrain's, expect Ferrari's straight-line speed prowess to play a part in the red team's quest to keep Red Bull within touching distance.

With Leclerc taking a 10-place grid penalty into Saudi Arabia for the use of a third ECU just two races into the season, teammate Carlos Sainz – a muted fourth in Bahrain – may need to fly the Ferrari flag.

Expect strategy to play a part

Jeddah only has a two-race sample of data to draw upon, but the chances of Sunday's 50 laps running interrupted from lights out to chequered flag look to be slim to none. Eight safety cars have paused the racing in the two previous instalments, meaning there's jeopardy for those at the front and an opportunity for those not in podium contention to finish well above their natural pecking order.

Perez – on pole for the first time in his career 12 months ago – saw a chance of victory scuppered when he pitted just before a crash by Williams' Nicholas Latifi caused a safety car, shuffling him back to fourth.

With that in mind, don't be surprised to see teams who either make or just miss the top 10 in qualifying split their strategies and have one car run long in the first stint, in effect goal-hanging for a 'free' pit stop under a safety car period that looks likely to be a matter of 'when', not 'if' …

The Formula 1® Saudi Arabia Grand Prix will be on Foxtel/Kayo live with a highlights package on Network 10 on Monday night. See our What time does the 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix start in Australia article for timings.