‘Really fast’ Jeddah Grand Prix will push Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen title race to the limit, as architect tells talkSPORT winner is impossible to predict

The Jeddah Grand Prix will be like no other before it, talkSPORT has been told by the circuit’s architect.

Lewis Hamilton and championship leader Max Verstappen will go head-to-head on a track labeled ‘really fast’ and it’s set to test both to the limit as their title race goes down to the wire.

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Hamilton is in fine form having reduced the gap at the top from 21 points to just eight with back-to-back wins in Brazil and Qatar.

The pair have been inseparable in one of the greatest title bouts Formula One has ever seen, and things will only get more interesting as they dive into the unknown next time out.

Saudi Arabia will host a Grand Prix for the first time on December 5, and designer Carsten Tilke has told us all about the track which has been put together in just eight short months.

“Yes it’s of course very close, a very tight project timeline but the track will be ready,” Tilke said. 

“It was really one of our most ambitious projects with the most time pressure to really make this happen in eight months, but in the end it’s really amazing what’s there now and everyone is excited for the next race.”

The circuit’s narrow make-up has been turned into a speed haven by Tilke’s architects, making it the fastest ever street circuit to join the calendar.

“The land for the track is very narrow, a very narrow piece of land next to the Red Sea and there is a lot of interaction between the buildings and the track, everything is tense together,” Tilke explained.

“We had this piece of land directly next to the Red Sea and it has this lagoon inside and they’ll be driving around the lagoon, and the good thing is we were quite flexible in this narrow strip, of course we were restricted by it but we built most of the streets completely new.”

The 6.174 kilometre course has a few surprises for fans too with an extra drag reduction system zone.

“What will be interesting is that there are three possible DRS zones directly behind each other,” he explained. “So it’s three DRS zones and every time different corners after that, which can be really interesting. 

“It’s not just straights, it’s a DRS zone but you have to be really concentrating because there are walls directly next to it, you have to steer.”

Tilke has singled out which parts of the tight and twisty speed circuit should produce the most entertainment, with drivers pushed to their very limit.

“What I think is very interesting is the passage from T4 to T10, it’s a very fast flowing S combination, this will also be challenging for the drivers to find the right lines, and T13 is also a cool 12 per cent banked corner so there are a lot of different elements,” he said.

The track has been likened to the final sector of Baku, as well as Monza, but looking at the unique layout, comparisons seem useless, and Tilke agrees.

“It’s difficult to compare it, I really thought about this,” he explained. “You can maybe say this passage here, this passage there, but for me I can’t compare it. 

“It’s really fast, it doesn’t have all the buildings inside like a street circuit when you think of Baku or Monaco or Singapore. This makes it better to make nice corner combinations, and not 90 degree corners, which is normal in a city.”

The key question on everyone’s lips is who will the new track favour, Mercedes’ Hamilton or Red Bull’s Verstappen?

A win and fastest lap for seven-time champion Hamilton with Verstappen second will put the drivers level on points heading into the final round, while Verstappen could seal his maiden world title if things fall his way.

The sheer speed of the Jeddah circuit leads many to assume it will favour the extraordinary power of Hamilton’s Mercedes, but the track also features the most corners of any circuit on the calendar with 27, tipping the outcome back in the balance according to Tilke.

“It could go either way,” he said. “On the one hand it’s very fast, so the engine is important, but on the other hand it’s a lot of corners. This is also important, so to be honest I’m not sure, we will see.

“At the moment the momentum is with Mercedes again. They are so strong, and it will be difficult to beat them, but you never know what will happen. 

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“Verstappen is in front and we have a street circuit where you can touch the walls easily, and if something happens Verstappen will be there, it’s really, really close and can go both ways.

“I think it’s impossible [to predict], we don’t know, we will see who will manage to cope with the new track, it will be challenging for them. 

“Mercedes are taking the strong engine again which they had in Brazil, and if it’s still this engine with so much power, I think it will be difficult for everyone else.”

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Tyre manufacturer Pirelli have had a big part to say in the 2021 title race, with strategy becoming an important decider between the pace-setting Dutchman and his British rival.

Tilke revealed his team are in close contact with Pirelli, and that tactics will be key to master Jeddah, which is designed to mix things up on the pit wall.

“We try to make different strategies possible, this is something that we aim for,” he said. 

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“To provide one more element to the race which makes it interesting so not everyone is picking the same strategy. 

“So for example to have quite a short pit entry and exit so you’re not losing so much time when you go in, which makes it possible to make one stop, two stop, even three stop strategies.”

Practice begins at Jeddah on December 3, with the race starting at 17:30pm UK time, Verstappen can clinch his first world title should he win the race and Hamilton finish sixth or lower.