Saudi Arabia to address safety concerns ahead of F1 return

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

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Saudi Arabia to address safety concerns ahead of F1 return

Saudi Arabia will host the second race of the coming season

Sam Hall

Thursday 27 January 2022 14:30

CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company Martin Whitaker has outlined a number of improvements that will be made to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix circuit and facility ahead of F1's second visit in March this year.

Across the inaugural Jeddah weekend, driver feedback revealed concerns of a lack of visibility around certain higher-speed corners with the barriers and tight confines preventing sight of a potential accident.

Ahead of this year's race on March 27, Whitaker explained the venue is committed to 'improving' on this issue.

"We have been striving to improve on some areas for our second event," explained Whitaker.

"Firstly, there are going to be one or two slight changes to the track. These tweaks are directly related to a drivers' sight-line from the cockpit. It's minimal work, but it will help improve forward visibility in a couple of corners.

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"Secondly, we will make some small modifications to the barriers that will favour the lines the drivers take around the course."

When F1 arrived in Saudi Arabia last year, there remained concerns that the facility would not be completed in time to allow racing to take place.

Construction continued throughout the weekend but after the successful running of the first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Whitaker is confident further changes can offer a better product this time around.

"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," added Whitaker.

"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 fan zones, which proved to be extremely popular."