FIA Makes Last-Minute Changes To Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

The FIA has made changes to the DRS zones due to safety concerns.

Ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the FIA has decided to relocate the third DRS detection point at the Jeddah Corniche street circuit to a safer location, following the dangerous antics that occurred in last year's race. 

Previously, the third of three DRS activation zones was situated in the braking zone before the final hairpin that links two long straights. However, some drivers would deliberately avoid overtaking the car ahead of them on the back straight so they could still use DRS on the following main straight, causing defending drivers to brake erratically to force the overshoot.

This tactic was used by Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the 2021 race when they battled for the lead in their title fight, and it was also observed in last year's race between Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. 

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner suggested moving the activation point to avoid these "cat-and-mouse games," and the FIA has now responded by shifting the third DRS activation point from the Turn 27 braking zone to the main straight, 170 meters past the hairpin, to prevent erratic braking into the final corner.

The FIA has announced that it will tweak DRS zones at five circuits this year to either make overtaking easier or more of a challenge where overtaking is considered too trivial. 

In Bahrain, the first DRS zone was shortened, and further changes will be made in Melbourne, Baku, and Miami. Additionally, the Jeddah Corniche street circuit has undergone further modifications for the second year in a row to improve visibility. For instance, at Turns 14 and 20, two of the fastest blind corners on the circuit, several barriers have been relocated to enhance sightlines and enlarge run-off areas.

To address safety concerns on the high-speed circuit, a bevelled kerb has been added through the high-speed left-right sequence at Turns 22 and 23, reducing speeds by an anticipated 50 km/h. Moreover, more bevelled kerbs and rumble strips have been installed at various corners on the track.