Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has warned that Formula 1’s traffic problem could get “very messy, very quickly” in Saudi Arabia.
F1 experienced the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the first time on Friday, as the drivers got up to speed in free practice.
However, the danger of cars on their hot laps coming across drivers on cooldown laps was present, particularly in the high-speed final sector.
Perez has warned that traffic management during qualifying could be difficult as drivers search for a clear section of track.
“It’s a really nice fast and fluid circuit, really enjoyable, a lot of fun out there, it’s going to be tricky in qualifying, the traffic management,” Perez said.
“It’ll be trying to be there at the right place, we saw what happened when everyone was on soft at the end, it can get very tricky, very messy, very quickly.
“It’s going to be very, very tricky to get the perfect lap out there, but then I think in the race it’s a long race, anything can happen, so we just have to stay there.”
Perez wasn’t the only driver to highlight the danger of the traffic, as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also called attention to the potential issue.
Perez appeared to struggle throughout the opening day of running in Jeddah, however he asserted that he has much left to deliver during the remainder of the weekend.
“I think there is plenty more to come [on Saturday] so hopefully we are able to fight the right balance and pace to be in contention,” he said.
“It’s a track where if you make a mistake it can be extremely costly, so yeah we just have to stay there and be on it as much as possible.”
