PREVIEW: F1 ACADEMY gets back on track for in-season testing in Jeddah

After a thrilling opening round in Shanghai, the 2025 field are reconvening for another three days of action with their first in-season test.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit plays host to the test ahead of Round 2 in a fortnight’s time, giving the new faces in the paddock a chance to get acquainted with the Saudi Arabian track, whilst the 2024 returnees will look to learn as much as they can after last year’s experiences.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Testing will run from April 4-6, with a total of 15.5 hours of running across the three days in Jeddah.

The opening session will commence on Friday at 14:00 local time (UTC+3) and will run until 17:00. The cars will be back out under the floodlights at 20:00 in preparation for their late night Qualifying session in Round 2, before the first day concludes at 22:00.

Day 2 will see six hours of track time in two three-hour stints. The first session will run from 13:00 to 16:00, followed by the second session from 17:00 to 20:00. The final day gets underway at 10:00 until 12:00. Following a lunch break, running will resume at 13:00 for two and a half hours, before the final chequered flag is flown at 15:30.

Each car will have seven new sets of slick tyres to utilise for the duration of the event.

THE FIELD

• Doriane Pin leads the Drivers’ Standings by five points to Ferrari’s Maya Weug, after the Mercedes driver won Race 2 in Shanghai.
• The only team to record six points-scoring finishes across their trio in Shanghai, Campos Racing hold a 10-point advantage in the Teams’ Standings.
• Alisha Palmowski is the highest-placed rookie in P4 on 18 points, six points behind Campos teammate Chloe Chambers.
• Six rookie drivers feature inside the top-10 in the Drivers’ Standings with Palmowski followed by Alba Larsen, Emma Felbermayr, Ella Lloyd and Rafaela Ferreira in fifth to eighth, respectively, with TAG Heuer’s Aiva Anagnostiadis in P10.
• Last year, Pin was the fastest driver in Jeddah, scoring a double pole position with a fastest time of 2:03.472.
• The first of four returning venues from the 2024 campaign, the 6.174km Jeddah Corniche Circuit features 27 corners — the most of the season.

KEEP UP TO DATE

Session reports will follow the chequered flag on each of the three days of testing and you can check in on how the drivers are feeling with end-of-day interviews.