Saudi Arabian GP to double down on security in 2023 after last year’s missile attack scare
The Saudi Arabian government has done everything in its power to increase the security during the Saudi Arabian GP.
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Saudi Arabian GP
Saudi Arabia is expected to deploy its top-of-the-line ‘Iron Shield’ Defense system during this week’s Saudi Arabia GP weekend. This has come in light of what happened near the Jeddah Corniche Circuit last year. A nearby fuel depot was hit by a missile that caused the whole F1 paddock to worry about their security.
Moreover, the F1 drivers were unwilling to race at the Circuit after the horrifying event. But after much deliberation, the drivers and all the 10 teams were ensured of their safety during the event. Thus the drivers grudgingly decided to participate in the event despite the attack at the nearby fuel depot.
While the event occurred without any further interference, the drivers were not very happy, and further discussions took place during the F1 season last year. The Saudi GP organizers were present in Austria and Singapore, where meetings took place between all the interested parties.
This year’s event in Jeddah is just a few days away, and the government of the Country has done everything in its power to make the event as safe as possible. While they have deployed its Iron Shield Defense at the Circuit, they have recently transferred a whopping 1 billion dollars into the central bank of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. As per TheSun, last year’s attack in Saudi Arabia was done by a group that belonged to Yemen.
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The F1 Saudi Arabian GP will see a tremendous increase in security
Last year’s incident during the Saudi Arabian GP brought a lot of bad publicity to the Country. In order to not see a repeat of what happened in 2022, the organizers have confirmed that there will be a huge increase in the number of security personnel during the event: more guards, security sweeps, and quite a truckload of CCTV cameras.
As far as the Iron Shield Defense is concerned, it is believed that the technology can shoot down any missiles. Even if a drone were seen hovering near the Jeddah Corniche Circuit during the F1 event, it would be instantly shot down. The govt. is not leaving any stone unturned in order to ensure the teams and the drivers of their safety.
Looking at everything that has been going on in Jeddah, it seems that there will be no unwanted surprises during the event. However, the same cannot be said about the action that would ensue on track from the upcoming Friday onwards.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has always produced thrilling action. Moreover, considering the cat-and-mouse game that Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc played during the closing stages of the 2022 race, one can expect a lot of nerve-wracking action from the 20 drivers during the three-day event.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)