A few months after Jeddah Grand Prix, the organizers come back of the Middle Eastern circuit to talk about safety. Those responsible for Saudi Arabia track they spoke privately with the teams and the riders, reassuring them that what happened a few months ago will not happen again in the next event.
Jeddah: a high voltage weekend
The blanket of smoke that hovered on the horizon and even infiltrated the pilots' helmets seemed, initially, 'only' to be the result of a fire. What was discovered after Friday's free practice left everyone in the paddock speechless. A group of Yemeni rebels ha carried out a terrorist attack, by launching missiles on an Aramco oil facility (sponsor of Aston Martin) a few miles away from the track.
During the weekend, the paddock became an environment full of fear and tension. The riders and teams met privately To answer the most obvious question of all: run or pack? After several hours without official news, the verdict: the race will be run. On Sunday the Arab neo-track saw the triumph the now forthcoming title winner Max Verstappen after a long duel with Charles Leclerc; but after the end of the event, the sporting context took little time to fade away and give way to new discussions on what was the most ethical choice to make that weekend, and for the future.
Jeddah is trying to rebuild
In the city overlooking the Red Sea, nothing has stood still in recent months. The organizers as well as responsible for the route they have and are trying to reconstruct the image of the event, entertaining various meetings with pilots and teams in order to restore a sense of security not easy to awaken. In this regard, the Arab sports minister expressed his opinion Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal"We have spoken to teams and drivers about the necessary steps that have been taken, working particularly with F1, e our number one priority is safety for everyone. This not only on the track, but throughout the kingdom. Strangely, a ceasefire was announced three days after the attack. So I guess with all the media that came to the race, it was a way to show aggression and to get attention. But we were confident about safety and security at that time".
"We know we have concerns about some issues. We are not perfect and have never claimed to be. But at least we're learning from our experiences and taking steps to make things better in the future".
Abdulaziz further explained the measures that have been taken to protect the track and the city itself from possible threats: “During the event more than 4.000 troops were deployed precisely for this reason, because when these things happen there is a fear that the people who want to aggravate the situation will notice it. So we made sure no one compromised the safety of the event and the city".
Safety even inside the runway: upgrade coming soon
As known, the Jeddah layout allows the single-seaters to have a very high average speed, almost like a Monza. However, this also involves risks, especially if you consider the narrow spaces of the circuit. Just think of the frightening accident of Mick Schumacher. Prince Abdulaziz was keen to further reassure attendees and spectators, announcing changes to mitigate the risks: “We are working with the FIA and F1 for some track modifications. The layout is the same, but for safety reasons we will improve the visibility. We also understood that the new single-seater is more sensitive to the curbs, as happened in Miami, so we changed them. Since we finished the second race we have been working steadily with the FIA and F1 to make sure we arrive well prepared for the next one".
SOURCE: Motorsport.com Italy
