Testing in Jeddah

Ahead of Round 2 of the 2025 F1 Academy season, all six teams descended on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia for three days of testing. Among them was the Hitech TGR team with American Express driver Nicole Havrda. With the Saudi sun blazing down and track temperatures soaring to over 35˚C, drivers were put through a true test of endurance and focus on the demanding street circuit.

Over the three days, the field collectively clocked 2,891 laps, giving teams a deep well of data to analyze as they prepared to return to Jeddah for the upcoming race weekend. The punishing heat played a major role, not only pushing drivers physically but also highlighting the importance of tire management — something that’s expected to be a major factor during the afternoon practice sessions and races.

Despite the challenging conditions, Nicole completed a remarkable 196 laps — the most of any driver — contributing to Hitech’s session-topping total of 536 laps. Her consistent pace and resilience in the heat show promising signs for the upcoming race weekend.

In the final session of the test, Nicole was on a flyer, on course for what would have been the 8th fastest time overall. Unfortunately, a spin and crash from Chloe Chong brought out the red flag, forcing Nicole to abort the lap – only leaving a hint of what’s to come.

With the race weekend fast approaching, the teams now turn their attention to fine-tuning their setups and strategies based on insights gained over the three days. If testing was anything to go by, Round 2 in Jeddah is shaping up to be a scorcher — in more ways than one.