After qualifying in 6th on Thursday, Kimi starts the Sprint race in 5th and the Feature race in 6th, which are good positions to be able to get a podium for the first time in Formula 2.
Antonelli during qualifying in Jeddah
Antonelli has never raced in Jeddah before, so qualifying in P6 is a good result and puts him in a good position to finish in the top three in both the Sprint and Feature races.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
The first Formula 2 race was in 2021. Currently, Felipe Drugovich, with his MP Motorsport, holds the fastest lap of the circuit in a Formula 2 car, with a 1:40.422 in 2022.
The circuit has a length of 6.174 KM, with 27 corners and 3 DRS zones.
Schedule
Like last week's Bahrain GP, this race weekend started on Thursday, and the final race will be held on Saturday instead of Sunday, as usual.
The Sprint Race is set to happen at 18:10-18:55 local time on Friday, while the Feature Race will take place on Saturday at 16:25-17:25 local time.
What to expect
Jeddah is a more friendly track for the Prema Racing team compared to Bahrain, so it was already expected that Kimi would have a better result than we had there. That turned out to be true, with him qualifying in 6th yesterday; he will start the Sprint Race in 5th with good chances of finishing in the top 3.
As Antonelli mentioned after qualifying, the race pace looks strong, meaning that if he doesn't involve himself in an accident at the start of both races, there are big chances of finishing on the podium!
Jeddah is a more friendly circuit, but we must remember that Antonelli is driving there for the first time, and any mistake there means you will hit the wall, so being focused will be everything.
Can Kimi Antonelli win one of the races? Absolutely, but more important than winning is finishing both races in the top 3 and grabbing some good points for the Championship.
