Formula 1 started in sparkling fashion last weekend, and now the circus rolls into Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Ferrari lit up the opening weekend in Bahrain as Charles Leclerc secured victory and Carlos Sainz finished second in the first race with an all-new set of technical regulations.
Red Bull crashed out of the race in dramatic fashion as reigning champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s cars suffered system failures in the dying stages in Sakhir.
Mercedes capitalised on Red Bull’s demise as Lewis Hamilton snuck onto the podium in third place while George Russell came fourth.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will give fans across the world another chance to assess their favourite drivers and teams as they each hope to start 2022 in flying form.
RadioTimes.com brings you the complete guide to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 including start time, dates and TV details, as well as our analysis of the big storylines to come.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix date
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 27th March.
Check out our full F1 2022 calendar for the full list of races and results throughout the season.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix start time
The race begins at 6pm UK time on Sunday 27th March 2022.
We’ve included the full schedule for the rest of the weekend, including practice and qualifying times below.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix schedule
All UK time.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix practice time
Friday 25th March
From 1:30pm on Sky Sports F1
Practice 1 – 2pm
Practice 2 – 5pm
Saturday 26th March
From 1:45 on Sky Sports F1
Practice 3 – 2pm
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying time
Saturday 26th March
From 4pm on Sky Sports F1
Qualifying – 5pm
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race time
Sunday 27th March
From 4:30pm on Sky Sports F1
Race – 6pm
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 7:30pm.
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.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix preview
1. Don’t rule out Red Bull
Any accusations of sandbagging, aimed in the direction of any team on the grid, no longer hold any weight. We don’t have a full picture of every team, but finally we have full-throttle data in a real-world race situation.
Ferrari are quick. They mean business. There’s no doubt about it. However, it would be foolish to expect things to stay that way. Ferrari certainly look competitive, but Red Bull were comfortably in the mix until a pair of unfortunate system failures across their two cars.
If Red Bull can find some fixes to boost reliability, they will launch into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a strong chance of coming out with one or both of their drivers on the podium.
2. Rejigged midfield battle
One of the finest aspects of the first race weekend was that the racing does indeed look closer, especially in the midfield. There were wild race results across the grid that no-one could have foreseen.
It was marvellous to see Haas driver Kevin Magnussen look strong value for his P5 and teammate Mick Schumacher in P11. It was equally impressive to see Alfa Romeo duo Valtteri Bottas and debutant Guanyu Zhou finish P6 and P10.
Both teams languished in 2021 but their decisions to focus on 2022 appear to have paid off with plenty of race pace to burn. If the four drivers can repeat their displays, they could spark a sensational midfield battle.
3. Fast and furious circuit
The street circuit in Jeddah is rapid – the second quickest track on the calendar after Monza. It’s a new challenge for teams to navigate with the fresh regulations.
We already saw closer racing in Bahrain, but we also saw just how much of an impact DRS had with these new cars. There are 27 turns in Jeddah but most can be taken at ferocious speed and the long curving ‘straights’ offer big opportunities for drivers to really open the taps.
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix prediction
Check out our Saudi Arabian Grand Prix predictions guide coming soon…
If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub.
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