Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

This track is fast and relentless and I'm so excited to get going, it's always a spectacle here under the lights.

I can't wait to see what these drivers have in store for us.

Lewis Hamilton is scooting around with his helmet on - I don't think the seven-time world champion wants to stop and talk pre-race tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren boss Zak Brown told Sky Sports: "I think Oscar [Piastri] will definitely take it to Max [Verstappen], it's a long race so I think if there's an opportunity into Turn One I'm sure he will.

"I don't think coming out of P2 will be a bad thing because I think we've got a good race car underneath us and Lando [Norris] just needs to come forward, he's got the car to do it and the talent to do it."

Darkness has fallen in Jeddah and the track is a hive of activity under the lights. The Royal Guard Band are playing the national anthem on the grid tonight - short and sweet one. The drivers exit stage left and now it's time to focus on the 50 laps that lie ahead.

Lando Norris is asked what the target is and where his engineers think he can reach from P10 but the Briton isn't giving anything away.

Image source, Getty Images

Mercedes' George Russell will start in third and he spoke to Sky Sports about what he could have done better: "I think not having that lap on the board, not having the strategy that the Red Bull had, but we don't live in the past, we look forward and that was yesterday and today we have an opportunity to fight for more.

"I feel good within myself and I have good confidence. In all honesty the car is at a much stronger level and I feel since maybe the middle of last year I've been performing at a good level.

"Now we've got a car that I can really make the most out of and we can fight for those results."

On today's race: "I think we have to fight for the podium as a minimum, but I think all the action will happen around the pit stops.

"Nobody has raced on the hard tyres this weekend so we don't know if it's going to be an easy one-stop or a two-stop, so I think between lap 10 and lap 20 that's where you will see the most action."

Image source, Getty Images

Will Ferrari be in the mix in Saudi? Charles Leclerc, who starts fourth, pinpointed the Italian team's lack of grip compared to the rest as one of the reasons he was 0.376 seconds away from Max Verstappen's pole position time. "Fighting for P4 is not what I want and not what makes me happy, so for now I’m just disappointed," he said.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton's learning period continues. The 40-year-old said he wasn't feeling good with the car beneath him, but at least he's happier than he was during practice. He added Ferrari didn't do much long running on Friday and early Saturday but with some overtaking opportunities in Jeddah, he's looking forwards from his P7 starting spot.

Martin Brundle is on his grid walk for Sky Sports but he's unsuccessful in persuading music star Usher to stop for a chat. Never mind.

He does, however, spy Flavio Briatore - now executive advisor for Alpine - standing around. The Italian offers his hand for a shake, to which the presenter responds: "Martin Brundle - you fired me once."

Nulla Pax: If Lando doesn’t pull off something remarkable today, then I feel that McLaren should consider him as their number 2 driver, and prioritise Oscar.

George Russell gave his early predictions on how the medium tyre will perform but according to Pirelli director of motorsport Mario Isola, "degradation is under control". The Italian manufacturer has selected the C3 as the hard, C4 as the medium and C5 as the soft for today's grand prix, with most of the front-runners having two new sets of the hard compound and one fresh set of mediums ready to go.

Image source, Getty Images

George Russell has been on the podium three times this season and today he shares the second row with a familiar face - Charles Leclerc.

The Mercedes driver felt there was a bit more on table in Q3 after being so close to grabbing pole. He does think it's possible to challenge the front two of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, but it really depends on what happens at Turn One.

"P3 is a great place to start," Russell said. "I think the [degradation] on the medium is going be pretty high, so I hope there will be more opportunities than Japan."

Jeremiah Kariuki: Piastri can be a surprise winner of the drivers' championship. And it is races like today when he can prove that by doing a good one over Verstappen and Russell.

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren's Lando Norris will start down in 10th after crashing in the final session of qualifying. He said: "I'm excited, it's a fun track and pushing the limits probably a little bit too much like yesterday. I'm excited to hopefully put on a good race today and have some fun."

On driving on this circuit: "It can be a mix, it can be scary and rewarding, but fun at the same time. It's a shame about yesterday but I'm looking ahead to today. I'm excited to go forward and see if I can catch up [Oscar Piastri]."

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren face a difficult quandary with Lando Norris in terms of strategy. His race pace in the Friday simulations runs was sensational, and their best hope of gaining positions is to find free air for him to run at his maximum potential. That might lean them towards starting on the hard tyre, so he can run fast when others pit. But that strategy is quite exposed to a safety car - others can pit and lose less time and that neutralises the pace advantage.

On the other hand, start on the mediums with everyone else, and while it is less exposed to this safety car risk, it also gives less opportunity to use the pace of the car.

Changing conditions and wet weather are certainly not on any agenda for tonight's 50-lap race. The forecast in Jeddah is for clear skies and warm temperatures.

Image source, Getty Images

McLaren's Oscar Piastri will start in second, he spoke to Sky Sports: "The best place [to make your move] would be Turn One but it's a short run so we will see. Our car is going to be quick and we're going to have our opportunities later in the race as well.

"There's not going to be just one moment to try and win the race, there's going to be a few to choose from hopefully."

On potentially winning the race: "I think so definitely, the Red Bull and Max [Verstappen] look quite but we will wait and see. I'm confident we've got a strong car underneath us, tyre degradation seems to be one of our strengths at the moment so hopefully we can continue to use that.

"I think they [Red Bull] found a lot from Friday to Saturday so I'm not expecting them to be slow that's for sure, but hopefully we've still got an edge."

Image source, Getty Images

As we've seen already this weekend, the high-speed, twisty test of Jeddah can punish even the slightest mistake. If you take a risk and get it right, however, you can certainly reap the rewards.

What chance will Oscar Piastri take from the front row today? The Australian driver, who won in China and last week in Bahrain, is up against one of the best when it comes to defending a race lead, But he also knows top spot in the championship is there for him to pounce on.

Piastri said after qualifying he is hoping the tyre selection by Pirelli for this year's race - which are a step softer than last season - might play to McLaren's advantage.

BBC Sport's Harry Benjamin looks ahead to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the five things to look out for over the race weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull have a great record at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, winning three out of the four races held here and securing a team one-two at the past two events.

Max Verstappen has two of those victories under his belt in Saudi: one from pole, the other from fifth on the grid. Looking at the bigger picture for this 50-lap grand prix, the four-time world champion highlighted his race runs not being particularly great compared to the two McLarens. Off the line today, he only has to worry about one papaya car - Oscar Piastri.

When Verstappen took his first race win of the season from pole in Japan a few weeks ago, he successfully kept both Piastri and Lando Norris at bay with minimal fuss.

While Lando Norris said he shouldn't have been taking "silly risks" when fighting for pole position, he's also been open about how he feels not quite right in the McLaren this year, saying during the media day on Thursday: "In order to perform better, I'm being forced to drive in a different way, in a different manner that I'm not used to. And that is not normal for me at all."

Saudi has not been the best hunting ground for Norris since the race made its debut on the calendar four years ago. His best position was at the 2022 event, when he started 11th on the grid and finished seventh.

Image source, FIA

Lando Norris will need to prepare for some major elbows out action in Saudi Arabia - that's if an overtaking opportunity presents itself. His first target will be the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, followed by the second Red Bull of new driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Carlos Sainz put his Williams in the top six on Saturday, out-qualifying Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in the process. The Spaniard said after a tussle with Tsunoda in Bahrain he needs to choose his battles more carefully these days, as he's not in the same level of car. So, what will his strategy be today?