Saudi Arabian Grand Prix predictions 2022 | Winner and teams to watch
Our predictions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2022 including who we think will win and teams to watch in Jeddah.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has arrived and, in many ways, is more hotly-anticipated than last weekend's season opener.
Bahrain lived up to the hype with closer racing, a Ferrari one-two and a pair of DNFs for Red Bull, including a car failure from Max Verstappen in the dying laps.
Haas and Alfa Romeo enjoyed terrific starts to the new season while McLaren were the biggest losers of the weekend as their cars showed little-to-no competitive race pace.
The first race had everything and that's why you should be so excited for the second outing! Finally, after all the off-season hype around technical regulations, we are into the thick of the season and theoretical speculation is over.
Expect a full-throttle experience in Jeddah, but what else should you be looking out for?
RadioTimes.com brings you our top predictions ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2022.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix predictions
1. Mercedes will roar back to the podium
Mercedes were one of the quietest teams on the grid in Bahrain. They contributed little to the drama and simply carried on with their business in a mild, unassuming way.
It's no secret they're coming into this season slightly off the pace, but don't expect it to be that way for long.
The Jeddah circuit will reward those with sheer straight-line speed, something Mercedes have excelled at in recent years. Toto Wolff already diagnosed issues with drag last weekend and if he has been able to fine tune that Mercedes car, they will be firmly in contention for victory here.
2. There'll be a red flag
Saudi Arabian officials have made a number of tweaks to the circuit after last racing here just four months ago. The FIA requested 10 changes and seven have been put in place, mostly widening parts of the track.
This is likely to help prevent some nasty wall slams but it will also speed the cars up – as if they need to go any faster around the second quickest circuit on the calendar after Monza.
There were five DNFs in this race last year with two red flags coming early on in the race and multiple collisions throughout, none more infamous than Max Verstappen with Lewis Hamilton, and you can expect similar sparks to fly here.
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3. Both Haas cars will finish in the top 10
This looks like a perfect race for the likes of the Haas drivers, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly and other opportunists looking to pick up the pieces in the middle of a firestorm.
Should the race descend into more chaotic scenes this time around, say a car or two from the expected top 10 crash out, expect the newly-forming midfield pack to capitalise.
Haas enjoyed a stunning result in Bahrain as Kevin Magnussen finished P5 overshadowing Mick Schumacher's P11 which, ordinarily, would have been an amazing enough result for the US team. Expect Schumacher to go one step further and join Magnussen in the top 10 here.
Who will win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
Red Bull and Ferrari looked supremely quick in Bahrain, there's no doubt about that, but this is a circuit that Mercedes would usually lap up.
After one race, it would be easy to suggest Ferrari are going to lock out every front two for the remainder of the season, the Red Bull has mega reliability issues and Mercedes isn't quick enough, but we don't have enough data to see how many of those trends are grounded in reality beyond one, single race.
Mercedes appear to be more confident going into this one, Wolff believes he has identified the source of their issues and reports suggest they can make simple fixes for easy gains this weekend. Expect Lewis Hamilton to remind everyone why he has seven world titles to his name. And counting.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
How to watch Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on TV
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will air live on Sky Sports F1 from 4:30pm.
All races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event throughout the season.
Sky customers can add individual channels for just £18 per month or add the complete sports package to their deal for just £25 per month.
There will also be free-to-air highlights of the race on Channel 4 from 10:30pm.
Live stream Saudi Arabian Grand Prix online
Existing Sky Sports customers can live stream the race via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices.
You can watch the Grand Prix with a NOW Day Membership for £9.99 or a Monthly Membership for £33.99, all without signing up to a contract.
NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW is also available via BT Sport.
If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub.
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
