"It's the most dangerous place on the calendar" - Sergio Perez wary of the Jeddah circuit for the F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Pole position qualifier Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks to the media in the Paddock after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 26, 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Pole position qualifier Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks to the media in the Paddock after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 26, 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez believes the Jeddah Corniche circuit is the most dangerous circuit on the calendar and can be very demanding. The pole-sitter of the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix believes the track can be lethally punishing but was satisfied with the changes made to the circuit.

Speaking to Sportskeeda at the FIA post-qualifying press conference, the Mexican said:

“I think it's definitely the most dangerous place in the calendar. That's no secret about it. It’s a circuit that really demands a lot from the drivers, from the cars, from the teams. If you get it wrong, it can be a huge accident."
"I feel like, I don't know if there's something we can do into [Turns] 22 and 23, because those are really high-speed sections. And it's more about the going into the race, but I think it's the same after qualifying.”

Unlike his team-mate Max Verstappen at the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver managed to nail his pole lap perfectly. The Dutchman managed to string together the perfect lap until he clipped the wall in the last corner which botched his chances of pole position.

According to Sergio Perez, the Jeddah circuit can be punishing and also cause a massive accident as seen in the inaugural race and Mick Schumacher’s shunt during Q2.

The Mexican ousted Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc by a narrow margin of 0.025 seconds to claim pole position for the race. However, the risk of pushing the car at unprecedented speeds on a high-speed narrow circuit leaves no room for error.


Sergio Perez is content with the changes made to the Jeddah circuit

The Mexican driver commended the efforts put in by the track authorities to tweak the circuit layout ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP. The Jeddah circuit, which was deemed dangerous at its inaugural edition, witnessed several shunts in the F1 race and the junior categories such as F2 and F3.

Citing safety concerns,, the Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) made several changes to the track ahead of the 2022 season.

Applauding the efforts of the track authorities, Sergio Perez said:

“The last thing I want to think is about the track, and I think going forwards it’s again a discussion. In all fairness, they've done a good effort in couple of months to change a bit the circuit.”

Claiming the maiden pole position of his career on the high-speed street circuit, the Red Bull driver believes there will be discussions in the future about tweaking the track further to improve safety, especially at the high-speed corners.

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Edited by Arnav Kholkar
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