“I’m a bit worried about the speed”– Damon Hill raises safety doubts about Saudi Arabian GP circuit five days before the race

Former F1 champion Damon Hill shows safety concerns about the Jeddah street circuit only a few days before this weekend’s race.

The whole F1 paddock will be competing in the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in a few days. Ahead of the event, there have been several issues related to F1 going to Saudi Arabia.

But in the latest objections, safety concerns have been raised about its speed. The Jeddah circuit claims to be the fastest street circuit. And Former F1 champion Damon Hill is worried about that only.

“The track we’re going to discover, I think it’s going be a big challenge, by the looks of things,” Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. “I’m a bit worried about the speed.”

“I mean, there’s not much run-off. They’ve got the SAFER barrier that they’re using, which is like they do in Indianapolis, but it’s gonna be very high speed and not much run-off. So [it’s] high-risk, high jeopardy. That always gets your attention as a racing driver.”

Also read: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz predicts an uncertain and close tussle between the midfield cars at the Saudi Arabian GP

Damon Hill thinks nobody will know where to go

He claims that he has been assured by F1’s managing director Ross Brawn about the viability of the track in F1. However, Hill has stated his analysis on the track and says it will be challenging for F1 drivers.

“I think it’s a very difficult one to judge, because it’s such an unusual-looking track,” said Hill. “I compared it to possibly like Baku, and I was told off by Ross Brawn who said, ‘No, no, it’s not like that at all. It’s a completely different type of track. It’s got banked corners and stuff’.”

“Some of the sweeps look quite long, so I’m racking my brains – I think it could be a cross between something like Singapore and Baku. I think it’s great that nobody knows where they’re going. This is a completely unknown place, an unknown track.”

“It’s at that crucial point in the championship. This is going to be so important for the championship, this race coming up.”

Also read: Red Bull declare Mercedes favourites for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix amidst intense title fight