A number of track changes have been carried out at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit ahead of the 2023 edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, race promoter Saudi Motorsport Company has confirmed.
Made in cooperation with track design company Tilke GmbH, following consultation with F1, the FIA and drivers, the modifications aim to further improve driver sightlines in specific areas of the circuit, alongside the refashioning of various kerbs, “to deliver smoother, safer, and even more exciting racing” with F1’s new era of cars.
For next year’s event, special ‘Rumble Lines’ – which ‘shake’ a car, causing traction to be lost and slowing it down – have been added at Turns 3, 14, 19, 20 and 21, while bevelled kerbs have been added in place of steel ones at Turns 4, 8, 10, 11, 17 and 23.
As for driver sightlines, Turns 14 and 20 have seen the shifting of the fence wall on the right- and left-hand sides respectively by 7.5m (T14) and 5m (T20), with an extra ‘Rumble Line’ implemented between the white line and fence wall, while the fence wall has been adjusted at Turns 8 and 10 to give drivers more visibility of the corner ahead.
In the final change, Turns 22 and 23 have seen the ‘S’ shape squeezed via the adjustment of the fence at T23, and the addition of a bevelled kerb – with a view to slowing down the drivers by approximately 50km/h.