'Dangerous' Saudi track a safety worry

JEDDAH • Formula One has plenty to discuss after a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend that raised questions about the safety of the Jeddah Corniche circuit.

While Sunday served up a riveting floodlit spectacle won by Red Bull's reigning world champion Max Verstappen, there was acknowledgement that F1 needed to assess its newest fixture - which was Saudi Arabia's second race in its reported US$900 million (S$1.2 billion) 15-year deal.

Drivers had reservations about the "dangerous" track, with its blind, high-speed sweeps and straights which are "a bit blind".

There were complaints despite organisers having made changes to - among other things - improve driver sight lines for this year's race after its debut in December.

A heavy crash for Mick Schumacher's Haas in qualifying on Saturday underlined the perils. He has since assured fans he is fine after precautionary checks in hospital.

Nicholas Latifi also lost control of his Williams and slammed into the barriers during qualifying.

"In some places, like with Mick and you go flat out into the wall there, it is extremely painful and very dangerous," said Verstappen.

"Also, the straights are not entirely straights because they are all a bit blind. I don't understand why you need to design if it's going to be flat out, just design it straight. It's just safer for everyone."

His teammate Sergio Perez felt the track is "definitely the most dangerous place in the calendar".

"It really demands a lot from the drivers, from the cars, from the teams. If you get it wrong, it can be a huge accident," he added.

"I don't know if there's something we can do into Turn 22/23 as it's a really high-speed section."

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who finished third, said: "Here if you crash, it also hurts a bit more than in other places because the walls are closer and the speed is higher.

"When you see an accident like Mick's (it) gives us a bit the tranquillity that even at those speeds the car is protecting you because (of) very safe cockpits. But at the same time, is it really worth it? It's a discussion that we need to have."

Besides the issues on track, an attack on an oil storage facility near the track by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group last Friday cast doubt on Sunday's race. The sport eventually decided to carry on after receiving security assurances from the Saudi authorities.

"It's definitely a discussion that we should have after this race, once everything calms down," said Ferrari's championship leader Charles Leclerc, the race runner-up, on Sunday.

Verstappen added: "All the drivers together, we will speak with F1 and also the team bosses to see what's happening for the future."

The grand prix also reflects the Middle East's growing profile and influence within the sport, with state-owned energy giant Aramco a major F1 sponsor and joint-title partner of the Aston Martin team.

McLaren are majority-owned by Bahrain's sovereign investment fund Mumtalakat, with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund also providing significant funding.

Sunday's event was the fifth in a row in the region, which will again have four races on the calendar next year when Qatar returns after hosting the football World Cup.

There has been criticism from human rights groups too, but F1 has argued that it can act as a force for change in the region.

"Does Saudi Arabia and some of the other Middle Eastern countries share the same values and culture as we do in Europe? They don't," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "Can we by coming here put the spotlight into this place... therefore making it a better place? I still think so."

REUTERS