Russell Questions The Safety Of Jeddah Circuit And Calls For A Rethink

We all want drivers to be pushing it to the limit at every spin they go to. Some tracks have been tabbed snooze-fests, meanwhile others like the Jeddah Corniche Spin seem to be pushing that limit too far. Major incidents wideness F1 and F2 this weekend have left drivers unsure well-nigh the safety of the latest wing to the calendar.

One of the biggest critics is GPDA director George Russell, who was forced to retire from the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP without sustaining forfeiture from a standoff superiority of him.

Replays show a squeeze for Leclerc and Perez on the restart

The uniting reaction overdue unprotected out Russell and Mazepin#SaudiArabianGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/zpFKpedhl2

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 5, 2021

After Mick Schumacher spun into the barriers at Turn 23 on Lap 10, a standing restart saw Red Bull’s Sergio Perez squeezed into the wall and tagged by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. 

As Perez’s car came to a sudden halt, the drivers overdue him tried to take lamister action. As Nicholas Latifi dived to the right to stave the stricken Red Bull, his Williams teammate slammed on the brakes. Nikita Mazepin was then left with nowhere else to go and slammed into the when of Russell at high-speed, ending both their races.

Combining fast-flowing sections, an zillions of corners and tropical walls, the Saudi Arabian spin was unchangingly going to be a challenge, but now some are questioning whether the track has pushed it too far at the expense of their safety.

“A lot to learn, I think from this weekend in terms of these circuits. Incredibly exhilarating, so fast, heady to momentum from a driving perspective but lacking quite a lot from a safety perspective and the racing perspective. Let’s see what happens in future,” Russell said.

“It was just unconnectedness through Turn 3 to Turn 7, you couldn’t see anything, cars were everywhere. It’s a unconfined track to momentum but it’s a bit of a recipe for disaster.

“Definitely a rethink is needed and if we do come when here next year, which I guess we are, I think there are somethings that they need to modify to make these kinks just straights considering it’s so blind. We’ve once seen too many incidents waiting to happen.”

An emotional weekend for the team comes to a tropical as the chequered flag falls on the #SaudiArabianGP

LAT ?? P12
RUS ?? DNF pic.twitter.com/uwgZAqXX2a

— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) December 5, 2021

As one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, Russell’s in a prime position to lobby for transpiration on behalf of the grid. Considering the value of collisions that occurred wideness the whole weekend, fingers crossed the FIA and organisers listen to their concerns and make the necessary changes going forward.

Should the Jeddah Corniche Spin be redesigned? Let us know in the comments below.