Formula One Jeddah Grand Prix 2023 preview: a clockwork of races

Tomorrow's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah is shaping up to be a complex clockwork of a number of  inner races - wheels within wheels, so to speak -  all on a fast, twisty track.

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This is going to be some good racing!

 With pole position favorite Max Verstappen dropped down to 15th because of a drive shaft problem with the car, tomorrow's race is now a very different game. Red Bull is still keeping its dominance however, with teammate Checo Perez holding P1 - and as this is his kind of course, he's in good place to keep it.

 However, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso also does well on street circuit style courses and is on P2. Both Alonso and the Aston Martin car shined in Bahrain and this will be an exciting duel for first.

 Ferrari's Leclerc placed at P2 time-wise but is midfield after a 10 position penalty and is at P12. Leclerc and Verstappen, therefore, will have an interesting battle as they each climb their way up the field. This will make for some really excellent driving to watch , and is the second sub race to keep an eye on. In terms of sheer skill and car performance ( assuming the issue is fixed and reliable), Verstappen will excel at this if anyone can. I look for him to chew his way up the field and potentially finish in the top five. He is, undoubtedly, that good.

 Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz are at P3 and P4 respectively.

 I'll give the slight edge to Ferrari here because it's more of Sainz' style of circuit, and Russell, by his own admission in a post quali interview (what's the wisdom of revealing strategy?) indicated more of a preoccupation of keeping Verstappen at bay rather than seeking to get on podium himself. Both the Ferrari and Mercedes cars are proving problematic, however, so there's no real surety either can maintain their approximate positions in the field. 

 The midfielders are very tightly clustered this year, with some teams (Alpine, Haas) showing a lot of progress over previous years and nearly all of these midfield drivers having really excellent moments. 

 Any of them - Alonso's Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll (P5); Alpine's Ocon or Gasly ( P6, P9); McLaren's Piastri (P8), if his car cooperates; Haas' Hulkenberg (P10); will at least hold their own and work to move around each other for maximum points, and maybe even nip at the heels of podium range, especially if the cars of Russell and Sainz falter. 

 That particular midfield cluster I'm very excited to watch and for me is the third little inner race for tomorrow. 

 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton at P7 I expect to drop below P10; for the moment he's lost his will and interest, it seems. 

 As to the rest of the field, I see Magnussen with Haas able to move up the field some, and the Williams team has potential to do well tomorrow. Another one of the backfield teams showing good momentum this year, they did well in practice but a deleted lap in qualifying put them at the end of the grid. However, they have the push and the pluck to move ahead.