Feeder Series Preview: Jeddah

DIVEBOMB Motorsport
Apr 18
5 min read

Written by Jasmin Low and Meghana Sree

Feeder Series action returns this weekend, with Formula 2 set for its third weekend of 2025 at Jeddah, while F1 Academy is back for Round 2 on the banks of the Red Sea. Jasmin and Meghana take you through all you need to know ahead of the Jeddah weekend.

Formula 2

FIA Formula 2 travels to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the second of two consecutive race weekends. Following a hectic weekend of racing in Sakhir, the championship remains extremely close, with just one point covering the top three in the standings.

At 3.836 miles (6.174 kilometres), the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the longest street circuit on the calendar, featuring 27 corners and numerous straights. The circuit challenges drivers through its series of high-speed corners, tight walls and limited run-off areas.

Last time out in Jeddah, Oliver Bearman set the fastest lap in qualifying with a time of 1:42.217. However, Bearman later withdrew from the round after being called up to compete in Formula One, piloting Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari for the weekend. His exit promoted Alpine Junior Kush Maini to pole position for the Feature Race, followed by Jak Crawford and Victor Martins.

Richard Verschoor was first to the flag during the Sprint Race, holding the lead of the race from lap eight and managing multiple safety car restarts. Zak O’Sullivan and Franco Colapinto both stalled at the start, and were relegated to the back of the field.

In a chaotic showing of racing action, Victor Martins was the first to end up in the wall, prompting an early safety car, whilst Kimi Antonelli and Jak Crawford collided, but managed to continue.

A second safety car was needed after Amaury Cordeel spun at Turn 2. After racing resumed on Lap 12, Verschoor extended his lead over Paul Aron in the Hitech to over 1 second, whilst Enzo Fittipaldi made a crucial overtake on Zane Maloney to take fourth position on Lap 14.

Juan Manuel Correa was the next to retire after damaging his front wing, prompting a short period under the safety car. As racing resumed, Dennis Hauger overtook Aron for second place, before Isack Hadjar became the final retirement of the race, slowing on the penultimate tour of the circuit.

Whilst Verschoor was first to cross the line, he was later disqualified along with teammate Roman Staněk for breaching the technical regulations. Consequently, Hauger was promoted to first place, followed by Aron and Fittipaldi.

Fittipaldi’s good fortunes continued into the Sunday Feature Race, claiming his maiden Feature Race victory in style. The race was mayhem yet again, a testament to the circuit’s challenging characteristics. A safety car was required before the pack had completed a lap, following a collision between Pepe Martí and the Trident of Staněk.

Kush Maini maintained his race lead ahead of Crawford, who was the first to pit. Maini made his mandatory stop on Lap 8, alongside Fittipaldi, Antonelli, and Isack Hadjar.

Whilst preserving the net race lead, Fittipaldi was hot on Maini’s heels, claiming fourth position from the Invicta on Lap 13. Colapinto was forced to retire after spinning out from eleventh place, calling for yet another safety car. The weekend ended in a double retirement for Hadjar, whilst Fittipaldi continued to charge after his rivals who had yet to pit. O’Sullivan’s woes also continued, spinning but managing to continue on lap 25.

On the final lap, Fittipaldi had escaped up the road, whilst second-placed Maini led a DRS train that extended down to fifth position, inspiring a three-car-wide drag race to the line, with Dennis Hauger narrowly clinching the final podium position, just 0.031 seconds ahead of Crawford.

The Championship

Leonardo Fornaroli heads into the weekend as championship leader with 26 points, just one point ahead of Alex Dunne and Luke Browning, who sit in second and third, respectively. Pepe Martí executed a stellar weekend in Bahrain to move up to fourth place, while Richard Verschoor rounds out the top five on 21 points.

Hitech TGR leads the Teams’ championship with 37 points, followed by Campos Racing on 31 and Invicta Racing close behind on 30 points. Just 2 teams are yet to score; DAMS Lucas Oil and Trident.

This weekend may play into the hands of the experienced drivers, as Jeddah did not appear on the calendar for those who graduated from F3 in 2024. Consequently, the likes of Martí and Verschoor are poised to break into the championship top three. Nevertheless, an exciting weekend of racing action lies ahead, kicking off on the 18th of April.

F1 Academy Jeddah

Back for Round 2, F1 Academy will be racing around the high Jeddah Corniche street circuit following a dramatic season opener in China.

Our last F1 Academy outing saw Race 1, which follows the reverse-grid format, won by the rookie, Alisha Palmowski. Victory in Race 2 was claimed by Pin, who surged past Weug, the pole-sitter.

In-Season Testing Roundup

This round comes off the back of in-season testing which took place in Jeddah between 4th-6th April. Teams and drivers pumped in a total of 16 hours of running across the three days, gathering much data to prepare them for the rest of the season.

Ella Lloyd topped day one of testing, setting a competitive time of 2:05.367 during the day’s second session. Alisha Palmowski, China’s Race 1 winner, then took the reins and topped the second day’s time sheets with a 2:05.040, setting the fastest time overall for in-season testing. Weug dominated the final day of in-season testing, recording a 2:05.405.

Over the three days, a recurring issue drivers endured was the scorching heat, with Palmowski stating: “It’s something that I don’t have much experience with. I’m used to super cold temperatures, so it has been a challenge.”

Other key stories from testing involved the rookies raising the bar and showing competitive form, and an incident involving PREMA Racing’s Nina Gademan on day two. Gademan was taken to the hospital and later cleared, however, had to miss the final day of testing due to significant damage to her Alpine-supported car.

The Championship

This in-season test reaffirmed Campos Racing’s strong performance from China, where they collected a win and two other podiums — giving them an early lead in the Teams’ Championship with 50 points on board.

As for drivers, current championship leader Doriane Pin will be eager to extend her lead of 31 points, while those like Weug and Chloe Chambers sitting in second and third will undoubtedly put up a fight for the win.

Doriane Pin will be the one to beat in Jeddah | Credit: F1 Academy

Key Stories

At Jeddah, the heat will remain a hot topic of discussion, as both races will take place under the scorching sun. The winners will undoubtedly be determined by their endurance against the highs of 35˚C.

Another headline for this weekend is our Wildcard Driver Farah AlYousef, former Champion of the Saudi Women’s Karting Championship in 2022. The 22-year-old took part in the in-season testing and will be excited to jump back into the #4 MUHRA car operated by Hitech TGR this weekend to make her home crowd proud.

Finally, the rookies will be motivated to establish consistent form, with the likes of Palmowski and Alba Larsen hoping to continue their momentum from China into this weekend.

It’s all set to be a thrilling weekend in Jeddah for F1 Academy, and with plenty of points on the table, every driver will be hoping to extract their maximum performance around the 27 turns of this circuit.