2023 Saudi Arabian F1 GP: FIA move third DRS activation zone in Jeddah

To avoid any dangerous accidents at this weekend's F1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, the FIA have moved the third DRS detection point at the Jeddah Corniche street circuit until after the final corner.

Earlier, the final DRS activation zone was located in the braking zone before the last hairpin between the two long straights. This meant drivers avoided an overtake to enjoy the benefits of DRS on the following straight, which would result in the defending cars braking erratically.

For example, in last year's race, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc used that corner on different laps to allow the other to make a pass, before using DRS to regain the position.

Ahead of this year's Saudi race, the FIA have pushed the third DRS activation point from the Turn 27 braking zone to the main straight - 170m past the hairpin.

The Saudi GP is not the first race to have its DRS zones tweaked this season. The FIA shortened the first DRS zone in Bahrain, with further changes expected to come in Melbourne, Baku and Miami.

Besides the DRS zone relocation, the Saudi circuit has also been modified to improve visibility. At Turns 14 and 20, several barriers have been moved back to create bigger run-off areas.

A bevelled (apex) kerb has also been installed through the left-right sequence at Turns 22 and 23, a move that's expected to reduce speeds by 50km/h. The fences have been moved quite a few meters back and steel plates inside a few corners have also been removed for the further safety of the drivers.

While these changes would make the track relatively slower, they increase the visibility of the drivers which in turn increases their safety.

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Max Verstappen and Estaban Ocon welcome changes to 'dangerous' Jeddah F1 circuit

Max Verstappen has stated that the Jeddah track for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is now much safer thanks to the modifications.

The Dutchman, who won the race in Saudi Arabia last year, said (via RaceFans):

"The track changes that have been made are mainly for visibility, so hopefully, it has improved things a bit for us drivers. It was definitely dangerous in some areas."

Esteban Ocon opined that the circuit, while being very fast, will also be safer now because of the higher visibility. He said:

"It is a very fast and flowing street circuit and most of the lap is taken at full throttle, which is very exciting. There are some changes to the circuit this year to improve safety and visibility on corner entry, so we’ll definitely be offering some feedback on the changes on Friday after practice to see how effective they are."