#saudigp

Hamilton should go back to basics 

The feeling of Jeddah at night

There are races that look quick on TV and there are races that feel quick when you’re there. Jeddah is the latter. The circuit’s sweeping arcs and long, lit straights create a continuous ribbon of speed you sense in your chest before you register it with your eyes. That’s why choosing a viewing position here is less about a single “best corner” and more about your appetite for spectacle: the launch off the grid, the theatre of pit stops, or the hypnotic proof of downforce at 300 km/h. The right hospitality vantage makes all of it coherent and comfortable.

What “best view” really means in Jeddah

Main straight hospitality places you above the garages, where you can read the race like a story: lights-out, the complex dance of pit windows, Safety Car resets, and—if fortune smiles—the podium right in front of you. You get balcony sightlines, climate-controlled lounges, refined menus, and hosted programming that keeps you oriented when strategy turns chess-like.

Prefer the city-as-cinema vibe? Suites and lounges facing the waterfront frame pure velocity against skyline. The camera angles you love become yours to direct—stand on the terrace for the big moments, retreat to your table when the stint settles, and never lose context thanks to timing screens and expert hosts.

For executive groups or families, a curated lounge with semi-private seating is often the most humane choice. Conversation doesn’t have to compete with crowd noise, private restrooms shorten breaks, and hosts pace service to the session so you’re never balancing a plate as the field forms up.

Why a concierge approach beats DIY

Night races compress decision-making. Security windows, bag policies, road closures, prayer-time adjustments, and late-evening crowd surges leave little room for improvisation. Grand Prix Getaways turns that constraint into flow. Your Race Travel Architect programs gate-specific drop-offs (to avoid the “wrong gate, 25-minute walk” problem), handles hospitality check-ins, and aligns post-race exits with a driver staged on the correct side of closures. If the event schedule flexes, we flex your dining holds and car routes to match, quietly, in the background, so your evening never feels rushed.

The Jeddah “gotcha,” solved

Perfect seats, wrong moment to move. It’s the classic urban night-race mistake: you leave the lounge exactly when 50,000 other guests decide to do the same. We reverse it. Your host times a gentle departure five minutes before the crush hits your section, walks you through a quieter corridor, and hands you to a driver staged just beyond the roadblock. While the main wave queues, you’re passing baklava plates and deciding between mint tea or espresso at a waterfront dining room we booked weeks ago.

A weekend that breathes (and still sees everything)

Touch down with fast-track support and settle into a waterfront hotel. Friday is orientation: an unhurried circuit arrival, a hosted walk-through of hospitality, then a stroll along the Corniche to let the pace of the city take over. On Saturday you lean into qualifying—arrive 90 minutes before green, claim the terrace for the final runs, and let us whisk you to a late seating after parc fermé. Sunday is precision: a light early dinner, then a timed arrival so you’re calm, credentialed, and camera-ready as the formation lap forms. Watch the flag fall from a glass-fronted balcony, applaud the podium, and glide to your staged car while the avenue still hums.

Small details that change the day

Pack light layers for air-conditioned lounges, keep a compact battery pack in your day bag, and—no matter how certain your phone is—carry a downloaded or printed ticket backup. We’ll brief dress and bag policies in plain language before you fly. You’ll never guess which line you’re meant to be in.

Why travelers choose Grand Prix Getaways for Jeddah

Because your time is expensive and the night is short. We make every minute do two jobs: deliver a great view and remove friction. Your weekend unfolds like it was rehearsed—because for us, it was.

Saudi Arabia, known for its grandeur and vision, has taken the world of motorsports by storm with the introduction of the Saudi Arabia GP Services. This groundbreaking initiative promises to redefine the motorsport experience, combining cutting-edge technology, unparalleled hospitality, and thrilling racing action. The Saudi Arabia GP Services aim to provide a comprehensive and seamless motorsport experience to both participants and spectators. From professional racers to passionate fans, everyone can now indulge in the thrill of motorsports like never before.

If we thought that the battles between Hamilton and Verstappen were good last year, then we could be in for something truly special this year, as Charles and Max duelled it out once again in 2022, to produce a thrilling end to the race! Elsewhere, there were plenty of tough stories out there, and cases of what could have been!

Red Bull needed this win to bounce back after the disaster at Bahrain, where they left with no points. The high speed track clearly suited the less draggy Red Bull car, which is ironic given it was the opposite scenario a few months ago. After the Safety Car, Max was hounding Charles, and it felt inevitable that he would eventually find a way past. That wasn’t before Leclerc played some clever strategy to try and keep the lead, but it was all in vain. The champion did everything right in the race, and is back in the title fight. However, on slower speed tracks, he might struggle to keep up with the Ferrari. Perez was so unlucky with the Safety car, he was controlling the race to begin with, although I do feel like he would have been passed eventually. 4th will be tough for him to take, but at least he showed he had the pace to run at the front.

If the rumours are true about Ferrari not pushing their engine too hard in the first few races, then this might be a great result for them. Either way, they limited their losses, and continue to have a hold on the championship right now. Their car is so strong in the corners, which could be their biggest strength all year. Charles played the battling to perfection, allowing Max to pass him at the right points, so he could get back past. In the end though, he used up all the tricks he could, and had to settle for 2nd. He is still the title favourite in my opinion, just because of the Ferrari pace, and his tactics in racing. Sainz was closer to Leclerc this weekend, however, I am sure he is still aiming to be ahead of him soon. With reportedly upgrades coming for Ferrari at Australia, they are really going from strength to strength.

Mercedes had another trying weekend, where despite fixing the bouncing issues, they couldn’t find anymore pace, suggesting they have fixed it by taking off performance. Russell had a very quiet race once he had dispatched with the midfield, but seemed to enjoy it, despite how tiring it was. As for Lewis, it was looking pretty good in the middle stages of the race, as he was already into the points, however, a poorly timed VSC which closed the pitlane entry ruined his race slightly, and left him with only one point to grab. It has probably been a character building weekend for him and the team, as the list of issues may have grown not shrunk. They need upgrades and soon if they want to fight for the title this year.

Alpine are beginning to come into their own this season, the car is very quick, although they have plenty of competition for that place as 4th best team. Their drivers gave us plenty to enjoy as well, as they fought in the opening stages of the race, eventually Ocon was told to hold position. That battle stopped them challenging Russell, and may have put them under threat from those behind. It was a harsh result for Alonso, who retired after running so well.

There is hope for McLaren at last, with Norris charging through the field to get a load of points in the race. For the majority of the race, they looked to be just outside the points, but Lando came on strong at the end. This suggests the issues at Bahrain may have been small ones, as opposed to something fundamental. AlphaTauri had another mixed race, with one car retiring and the other in the points. Their reliability is a real concern, especially for Red Bull. Gasly though was pretty anonymous on the edge of the points all day.

It may not have been the huge points haul of Bahrain, yet we have to put everything into perspective for Haas, as last year a 9th would have been incredible for them. If this is where their true pace lies, in the last few points places, then it has still been a huge step for the team, and something to be proud of. Plus, if Mick can be as quick as we saw him be before his crash, they could really pressurise the other teams.

Bottas was on for another great weekend in the points, until reliability caught up with him on the same lap as Alonso. For Zhou though, he may have not got points, but for a rookie to be doing this well is pretty good going. Aston Martin are still up a certain creek without a paddle, and no way of getting one in the near future. Hulkenberg did well though in deputising for Vettel to start the year. Williams is in a similar place, but with the added heartache of crashes, mostly on the part of Latifi, who’s position in F1 is starting to come under question.

It has been a stellar start to the season, with two entertaining races. Yes, we don’t have 4 teams going for the championship, but that would probably be too much anyway. Instead, an intense battle is already emerging for two drivers with history, and it won’t stay friendly for long! Add to that, the potential of Mercedes finding fixes and joining the pack, and we could have another classic season on our hands!

It was a tense and rather scary qualifying session in Saudi Arabia, which ended with a sort of shock pole sitter, although we should never have counted him out. Perez has been getting more and more comfortable with the team over his 18 months with them, and the fruits of that are really starting to come through now. The lap was just sublime, and with the help of their superior straight line speed, led him to his first ever pole. The race will be difficult for him, not only with the 2 Ferrari’s behind, but also with Safety Cars and Red Flags.

Having looked so strong all weekend, Ferrari came up slightly short, however, 2nd and 3rd leaves them in a strong position for the race. They also did have better race pace than Red Bull at Bahrain, which could transfer to here. Leclerc still has the edge over his teammate, but the gap has shrunk a lot, and could get spicy very soon. I still think that Ferrari have not turned their engines up fully yet, as has been suggested, which could be why they were beaten. They need to attack Perez quickly off the start, and take control of the race.

Alpine have had a stellar day, getting both cars well inside the top 10, and suggesting they could be best of the rest behind the top 3. This is really what they need to do, after all the hype they had around these new regulations. Ocon is starting to impress against Alonso, which will help his stock value to rise. Bottas and Gasly continue to make the most of what is under them, and will want to gain more points tomorrow, especially Gasly who lost out on them in Bahrain. Tsunoda was unlucky to miss qualifying, and Zhou did well given his lack of experience.

No one expected Mercedes to go backwards from Bahrain, the general feeling was that they would make steady gains towards the front. Instead, though, having fixed some of the bouncing, the car has found itself a very tight set up window, which Russell found, but not Hamilton. This left the past champion down in an unheard of 16th position on pure pace. I would be surprised if he stays there in the race, but points won’t be easy for him. Russell did all he could, and will try to save some face for the team.

After the highs of Bahrain, it was a blow for Haas today, as whilst 10th and 14th aren’t a terrible result, the crash that Mick endured was brutal. It is great to hear he is well, and hasn’t got any clear injuries. Hopefully he can race tomorrow, as his pace all weekend has been right there, if not ahead of Magnussen. Kevin couldn’t repeat his exploits in Bahrain again, although points are still possible.

McLaren look better, yet still not great, and they went backwards in the race last time out, which could happen again. Let’s hope it doesn’t, and that they have found the issues that plagued them. Aston Martin and Williams look to have set up camp at the back of the field, which will be gutting for both of them.

The race tomorrow will be all about survival, especially with these new cars. There are plenty of fascinating stories to follow, can Perez hold of the Ferrari’s, have Red Bull fixed the fuel issue, can Hamilton climb back through the field, and who can be best of the rest? On top of that, I bet some new ones will unfold when the lights go out!

Just wanted to close on a more sombre note, talking about the missile strike, and the aftermath. If it is true, that the drivers did not want to race, and were pressured by the Saudi government and team principals to race, that is appalling, and I hope F1 reconsiders its position going forwards. That may not be the case, but either way, they should not be racing in a country with that going on