The FIA has confirmed that the third DRS detection zone has been moved to after the last corner of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
This intervention was confirmed in the FIA’s event notes for the upcoming race weekend in Jeddah.
Previously, the DRS detection point had been in the braking zone for Turn 27 which played a part in the cat-and-mouse game between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen last season.
In the closing stages of the 2022 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Verstappen and Leclerc were locked in a fierce fight for the win. Both drivers realised the strength the DRS held on the run into Turn 1 for retaking and defending the lead.
Leclerc and Verstappen both hit the brakes early and locked up in desperation to not be the first car over the detection point.
The final sector was also the set of controversy in the inaugural Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in 2021. Verstappen employed a similar tactic against Lewis Hamilton, again with the intention of reclaiming the lead into Turn 1 with DRS assistance.
Following the games between Leclerc and Verstappen, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner backed alterations to the final DRS detection point to avoid a “game of cat and mouse”.
“The DRS is so powerful [and] you could see there was a game of cat and mouse going on between the drivers where they would actually brake to a point where they accelerated into the corner,” Horner said after the 2022 event.
The FIA have now responded and moved the third DRS detection to after the Turn 27 hairpin with the activation zone 170m along the start/finish straight.
Other modifications have been made to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit with the aim of improving safety and visibility.
Turns 14 and 20, two of the quickest blind corners of the circuit, have seen barriers moved back and run-off areas expanded.
Bevelled kerbs have also been added at the Turn 22 and 23 complex which are expected to reduce speeds by 50 km/h.
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