The Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosted its first race last December, drawing criticism from the drivers on the subject of safety, due to the large number of blind corners on a street circuit with a very high average lap.
Last year’s race, in fact, was interrupted with two red flags, but was also characterized by numerous accidents, prompting GPDA director George Russell to tell Motorsport.com that the track was “lacking in point. from the point of view of security and the point of view of the possibility of battle “.
Saudi Arabia will host its second Grand Prix in just four months on March 27, having been entered as the second round on the calendar. Event CEO Martin Whitaker announced last month that track changes would be made to improve visibility for riders.
One month before the race, a further update was given on which curves will be modified to improve this aspect, by moving the barriers and widening the circuit in some points.
“It has already been confirmed that some small changes will be made to the circuit to help improve the visibility of the drivers from the cockpit, improving visibility in several corners of the circuit, including turns 2, 3, 14 and 21, where the barriers will be move back between 1.5 m and 2 m “, reads a statement from Saudi Motorsport Company, the promoter of the race.
2021 Jeddah lay-out
“Likewise, the barrier on the right hand side of Turn 27 will be moved back approximately 1.5m to widen the track at this point. In all cases, except Turn 27, the limit / edge of the track will remain the same. “.
“In addition, further changes will also be made to turns 4, 16, 22 and 24 after consultation with the drivers who have requested a smoother barrier on the vertex so they can potentially graze it as they pass.”
“To meet this demand, SMC is installing a steel plate that will effectively wrap the concrete barriers giving them the smooth surface they need to accommodate the lines the pilots have requested.”
The blind corners of the circuit surprised several riders throughout the weekend, especially in practice and qualifying, when some were busy looking for time and others were moving slowly.
The second red flag of the race was caused by an accident involving Russell and Nikita Mazepin exiting turn 2. Russell made an evasive maneuver to avoid Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc’s cars colliding. This blocked most of the circuit, but Mazepin overwhelmed the Williams rear end precisely because that is a blind corner.
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