2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP: Race Predictions

The grid for the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian GP is now in place, and we have Max Verstappen on pole position, followed by Oscar Piastri and George Russell. This was partly a result of the Red Bull driver just nailing everything on his final push lap, which helped him secure his second pole in 3 races.

Behind the top 3, we have Charles Leclerc in P4, followed by Kimi Antonelli in P5 and Carlos Sainz in P6. Lewis Hamilton starts the race in P7, while Lando Norris is in P10. The race under the floodlights can be a mixed bag, with some of the races being very chaotic while others are very monotonous.

What should we expect from the F1 Saudi Arabian GP? Let's take a look.

#5 Overtaking is going to be a concern

You look at the long straights, you look at the 3 DRS zones, and it makes you think that we could see a lot of overtaking on this track. The last couple of seasons have, however, shown that overtaking is maybe not the easiest around Jeddah, and one of the reasons continues to be the fact that it is very hard to pull off overtakes when you just can't follow the other car through the first sector.

The tires are a step softer this time around, but we might see a more processional F1 Saudi Arabian GP with overtakes being rare.

#4 Williams secures a double points finish

The thing that appears to work for Williams around this track is the ability of the car to be brilliant in the straight line. The car appears to put everything together on a straight line, and on a track like Jeddah, it is truly a superpower. This helped Carlos Sainz make his way to Q3, and Alex Albon narrowly missed out due to the strategy that was adopted for him.

For the F1 Saudi Arabian GP, the car does have the potential to put both drivers in the top 10.

#3 It's going to be a toss up between a one-stopper and a two-stopper.

There were suggestions that a 2-stopper might be the best strategy around this track, as the softer Pirelli has been brought for the F1 Saudi Arabian GP. That could happen for sure, and there is the potential of the team choosing to do that. At the same time, however, the contrary is on the table as well.

We might see the drivers just managing the tires throughout the stint, and since degradation is anyway going to be a bit of a question mark, just extend the stint until a one-stopper looks viable.

With the possibility of just getting stuck in traffic even when you have fresh tires, we could possibly see quite a few drivers gamble on a one-stopper and use that to great effect.

#2 Lando Norris finishes in top 5

Lando Norris starts the race in P10 on a track where overtaking could potentially be a serious concern. At the same time, though, the driver should have the car capable of making his way through the field. Until he reaches Lewis Hamilton, the McLaren driver's progression shouldn't be a concern.

It's only beyond this point that things could get hard for Lando. Expect the McLaren driver to start the F1 Saudi Arabian GP on hard tires and then try to overcut as many drivers as he can and make up as many positions as he can in the period.

We're backing the driver to make his way into the top 5 for the F1 Saudi Arabian GP.

#1 Max Verstappen wins the F1 Saudi Arabian GP

This one is tricky because, on one hand, McLaren seemed to have a definite edge when it came to race pace in the long runs. The car was just a level above anything that Max Verstappen had been able to achieve in his Red Bull.

With that being said, when you're starting the race at the front like Max Verstappen is right now, there's a level of pace modulation that you can do where you don't open up strategic options for the faster car to pull a gap on you.

To add to this, the track at Jeddah is not the best if you're trying to follow other cars and pull off overtakes. It's not going to be easy, and it's going to mean that Max Verstappen absorbs a lot of pressure, but it won't be a surprise if he wins the F1 Saudi Arabian GP.