The 2023 Formula One season returns this week with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. The great news is that Nigerians can enjoy watching the race from the comfort of their homes at SuperSport MotorSport.
Activities at the Jeddah track began earlier this week with the first round of training and will begin on Sunday. On Saturday, the drivers will hold a qualifying race. The race will determine the car order for the main stage, with the fastest qualifier starting at the front and the slowest at the back.
After the final race, all eyes will be on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who took his 36th career victory and first in Bahrain. He also won the race in Jeddah last year so it will be interesting to see how he fares this time. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, the star of the Bahrain GP, ​​will also be under pressure to perform brilliantly in the 50-lap race.
However, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who maintained a top-3 position in Bahrain until his control unit failed to stop him on lap 41, is in for an uphill battle this Sunday. He will receive a grid penalty that will see him drop at least 10 places this Sunday. Ferrari had to change their car’s control unit for the third time this season, although they are only allowed to do it twice. If they make other changes to the car, he may be looking at a further starting point. As he is 25 points adrift of Verstappen at the top of the season’s standings, he has his work cut out for him.
Experts predicted a more significant rivalry between Max Verstappen and his Red Bull partner Sergio Perez, who was second in the Bahrain race. Fans and pundits will also look to Lewis Hamilton, who won the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP for Mercedes, leading from start to finish.
The Jeddah circuit is 308,450 km, which is about 50 laps. The 27-lap Corniche layout is also the second longest on the calendar, some 800 meters shorter than Spa in Belgium, and the fastest street circuit running along the shores of the Red Sea.
Red Bull had the fastest cars in the straight last year, with Perez clocking a top speed of 335.1 km/h in qualifying, and Red Bull drivers have led every circuit (qualifying and actual races) so far this season.
All fans can watch the race on Sunday at 6pm on SuperSport MotorSport (DStv ch. 215). Formula 1 fans who cannot access the MotorSport channel because they are on a lower package than Premium or Compact Plus can take advantage of the Step Up offer.
The Saudi Arabian and Australian GPs will be broadcast on Compact Plus, but subscribers will need to upgrade to Premium to continue enjoying the season. The Step Up offer, available until the end of March, encourages subscribers to upgrade their subscription to the next higher package, and DStv will push them even higher. For example, if you upgrade from Compact to Compact Plus, DStv will automatically promote you to Premium, where you get an all-access ticket to the world of Formula 1 sport.
Visit dstv to subscribe or renew and be a part of the excitement. You can stream live on the DStv Now app if you’re always on the go.