New changes added to Jeddah circuit ahead of 2022 season’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

New changes added to Jeddah circuit ahead of 2022 season’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

The newly inaugurated Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be going through track layout changes for the 2022 season race. The Jeddah circuit will be returning for the 2022 season on 27th March.

Saudi Arabian GP
Saudi Arabian GP

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit was the newest entrant in the 2021 season calendar along with Qatar Grand Prix. The circuit was the fastest circuit in the calendar and was the first time Saudi Arabia hosted a Formula One Grand Prix.

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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix says “striving to improve on some areas”

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the faster street circuit in the calendar and had recorded the second-highest average of 250 km/h speeds, trailing only Monza in the 2021 calendar. It is also the second-longest circuit in the calendar But weeks before the first race ever, Jeddah’s racetrack wasn’t even ready with a Tar mack.

The Circuit was criticised as dangerous by many pundits. The fast flowing corners had posed challenges in mitigating high-speed collisions. While drivers had complained about poor visibility as there were far too many blind corners.

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Martin Whitaker, CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company overseeing the operation of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix had the following things to say regarding the changes in track layout. “The length of time between the two races has enabled us to reflect on some aspects that did and didn’t work.”

Max Verstappen skipping podium celebration in Saudi Arabia GP
Max Verstappen skipping podium celebration in Saudi Arabia GP

“We have been striving to improve on some areas for our second event. Firstly, there are going to be one or two slight changes to the track. These tweaks are directly related to drivers’ sightline from the cockpit. It’s minimal work, but it will help improve forward visibility in a couple of corners.

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

“Secondly, we will make some small modifications to the barriers that will favour the lines the drivers take around the course. There are a couple of areas that we are working on to enhance the experience for the fans who return to the track in March,” he commented.

“We are planning on shifting some of the angles of the grandstands to improve visibility and, at the same time, we plan to increase the size and develop the Fanzones, which proved to be extremely popular.”

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Whitaker explained that there were logistical issues regarding track changes as the track is fixed around the city Corniche. “Because of our location, we can’t change too much because the track is positioned on a narrow strip of land next to the sea, but we are certainly looking at the circuit’s entrance and exit,” he said.

“Due to the confines of the track’s location, traffic management was an issue and there were characteristics of the road system that created unnecessary delays. There are a lot of street courses that have tight and slow 90-degree bends, but the fast speeds of Jeddah and flowing corners enabled the drivers to really attack the circuit. In the race, there was also plenty of overtaking and drama with just the one particular corner catching a couple of the drivers out.”

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