Matthew Murnaghan: This is going to be an exciting race!

"I've got damage."

Oscar Piastri is back into the pits after the McLaren rookie picked up damage on the opening lap.

Oh no. Five-second time penalty for Fernando Alonso for an incorrect grid position, like Esteban Ocon in Bahrain.

Double delight for Aston Martin as Lance Stroll takes on the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and wins. The Canadian is up to fourth.

Sergio Perez is trying to cut off the charge of Fernando Alonso but it's no use, the Aston Martin driver takes the lead into the first corner!

Image source, Getty Images

How many safety cars will we see this year?

Image source, Getty Images

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Track temperature is fairly similar compared to qualifying yesterday, Sergio has really gone out the blocks there. Now is the time the drivers try and build the core temperature into the tyres, weaving left to right, using the brakes, you don't want to heat them up too quickly.

Reserve driver Mick Schumacher is in his prime spot looking over Toto Wolff's shoulder in the Mercedes garage.

Logan Sargeant has been on the radio to say he is not happy with his Williams...

Formation lap is under way.

Charles Leclerc is on the soft tyres along with Lando Norris.

The rest of the field? Taking Pirelli's advice and starting on the yellow mediums.

Alice Powell
British racing driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

This is Saudi Arabia, we've seen the history of this circuit, if you go by the last two races, anything can happen here.

David Mateer: Surely we're gonna see 2-stoppers - street circuits usually have a safety car at some point.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Jack Nicholls is joined by British racing driver Alice Powell and BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson for this night race in Jeddah.

Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sounds app and at the top of this page using the audio icon from 17:00 GMT.

Image source, Pirelli Motorsport Twitter

Pirelli has done a stock check and provided us with the remaining tyre sets available for each driver.

If we have a look in the Aston Martin column, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are going into battle for 50 laps with no new sets of hard and soft tyres.

A one-stop strategy was the fastest option in 2022, when a safety car led to an early trip to the pits for most drivers, who then finished the 50-lap race on the hard tyres.

Image source, .

Can Fernando Alonso win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tonight?

Yes is the verdict from you lovely folks at home.

505 gave it the thumbs up, 216 of you, however, think Saudi won't be the race.

Next question: Can I get my poles/wins for Alonso in the right order?

No is the answer to that.

Fernando's last win in Formula 1 was at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2013.

Germany 2012 was his last pole position.

I'll be off to live text prison once we've finished.

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull boss Christian Horner had an update on Max Verstappen's car which didn't make it to Q3 in qualifying yesterday due to a failure in his driveshaft.

He said: "You're always nervous with these cars, they are so on the edge but I think we understood the failure that happened, hopefully we have a Remedy for it. We checked Checo's and that was all fine, we will see, it's a long race and a tough one. I think if he (Max) got anywhere near the podium that would be one hell of a drive."

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

This is expected to be a one-stop race, as tyre degradation is low around the Jeddah street track. The preferred starting tyre is likely to be the medium, as it has good pace and degradation and does not have the graining - where the surface tears, reducing grip - suffered by the soft. From there, it is a stint of in the region of 18-25 laps or so, and then a switch to the hard.

For quick cars starting out of position - particularly Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in 12th and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in 15th - there might be a temptation to start on the hard tyre, for the longest possible first stint, and then the use of a quicker tyre at the end of the race. Aston Martin are the only leading team not to have a new set of hard tyres. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have only a scrubbed set to use. The Red Bull and Mercedes drivers all have two new sets of mediums available, although this would likely only become a benefit if there are multiple safety cars.

Pit-stop time loss is in the region of 20 seconds under green flag conditions, or 11or so if there is a safety car.

Image source, Getty Images

The goal for Mercedes this season is to try and get back to winning ways like seasons gone by but for now, starting near the front of the grid is a positive for the once dominate Silver Arrows.

George Russell said he was "really pleased" with the performance which was "a lot more than we could have expected coming into the weekend".

"I was feeling good here," he said. "The car has been feeling good, the weakness is just the lack of overall downforce.

"We did a lot of work. I was back in the factory working hard in the simulator, and that's what I am most satisfied about. But we know globally we have a lot of work to do."

JJ: Given Verstappen and Red Bull’s performance in Hungary last year and his abundance of tyres available, SURELY they will win this on strategy?

Robert Houghton: Max will certainly have his work cut out, starting from 15th. Hopefully Alonso can repeat his podium finish.

Image source, BBC Sport

Drivers take the lap at 82% full throttle around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, making the 27-corner test the fastest street track on the Formula 1 calendar.

Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural race from pole position in 2021, while Max Verstappen sealed victory from fourth on the grid last season.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Rear suspension and both driveshafts changed on Max Verstappen’s car after his failure in qualifying.

Image source, FIA