Saudi Arabia details safety changes to "very dangerous" circuit

Mazepin, Perez, Haas, Red Bull, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — Photo: © LAT Images

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Saudi Arabia details safety changes to "very dangerous" circuit

A number of tweaks have been made

Ian Parkes

Monday 28 February 2022 13:55

The promoters of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has outlined details of the changes being made to a circuit that last year was declared "very dangerous" following its debut on the F1 calendar.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit was declared the fastest street track in the world prior to its inaugural event in early December when it hosted the penultimate round of the season.

But it quickly became apparent over the course of the weekend that certain aspects of the venue were a concern given those speeds.

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Numerous incidents took place, including eventual champion Max Verstappen's crash in qualifying, while there were two red flags in the opening 15 laps of the grand prix, as well as other accidents in support series across the weekend.

In the build-up to the race, Perez labelled the track as "very dangerous" and "a bit too risky without reason", promoting a number of safety changes ahead of F1's return for the second race on this year's calendar in late March.

Detailing the alterations, promoters the Saudi Motorsport Company said driver sightlines will be improved at "several of the circuit’s corners".

These include turns two, three, 14 and 21 "where the barriers will be moved back between 1.5m and 2m.

"Likewise, the barrier on the right-hand side of turn 27 will be moved back by around 1.5m to widen the track at this point. In all cases except turn 27, the track limit/edge will remain the same.

"In addition, further modifications will also be made to turns four, 16, 22 and 24 after consultation with the drivers who requested a smoother barrier on the apex so that they can potentially brush it as they pass.

"To accommodate this, SMC is installing a steel plate which will effectively wrap around the concrete barriers given them the smooth surface they require to favour the lines the drivers take around the record-breaking course."

The race is scheduled to start 30 minutes earlier this year at 8pm local time "to further maximise the global television audience potential and build on last year’s massive figure of just under 80m viewers".