Home F1 FIA shares track changes at Jeddah, DRS zones, stewards & more

FIA, Jeddah, F1 — JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 04: A general view showing Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on December 04, 2021 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202112040178 // Usage for editorial use only //

FIA shares track changes at Jeddah, DRS zones, stewards & more

24/03/2022

The FIA has shared details of the track changes made at Jeddah circuit for Saudi Arabian GP, as along with DRS plus other details.

Much like last year, there is no track limits at Jeddah for F1 Saudia Arabian GP as per the pre-event FIA Race Director’s note. Neils Wittich is to continue on for this weekend, even though Eduardo Freitas is free from his WEC workload.

There’s larger list of changes made to the circuit from last year as they look to make it more safer for the drivers. Here’s what the FIA stated:

Turn 2-3: The left hand side barriers have been moved back to improve visibility from Turn 2 to Turn 4
Turn 4 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
Turn 14 Apex: The barriers have been moved back approximately 1.5m to improve visibility
Turn 16 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
Turn 21 Apex: The barriers have been moved back approximately 1.5m to improve visibility
Turn 22 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
Turn 24 Apex: A smooth face has been added to the concrete barriers
Exit of Turn 27: The track has been widened to 12m

The DRS zones from last year remains as it is. The first’s detection zone is on the exit of Turn 17 with activation on the exit of Turn 19, while the second’s detection zone is on the entry of Turn 22 with activation on exit of Turn 25. The final’s detection zone is on entry of Turn 27 with activation 170m after Turn 27.

In terms of the FIA Stewards, Nish Shetty will lead the team of Matteo Perini, Enrique Bernoldi and Hassan Alabdali. The documents from the governing body also noted that Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari went through the random extensive checks in Bahrain, and the car was found to be compliant with the technical regulations.

Here’s the full FIA Race Directors’ note: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Saudi%20Arabian%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Event%20Notes.pdf

Here’s details of Carlos Sainz’s check: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2022%20Saudi%20Arabian%20Grand%20Prix%20-%202022%20Bahrain%20Grand%20Prix%20Post%20Race%20Inspections%20on%20Car%20Number%2055.pdf

Here’s news from Aston Martin about Saudi Arabian GP line-up