Why Is Saudi Arabian GP Called a Street Race?

In the era where Red Bull and most importantly Max Verstappen are dominating the sport of Formula 1, his teammate, Sergio Perez, who has the most difficult job on the planet has bagged a unique title amidst his quest to live up to Verstappen’s greatness. The title is the King of Street Circuits. Five of his six wins have come from street races. But what exactly is a street race and why is the Saudi Arabian GP classified as one?

What are street races?

There are two kinds of circuits on which Formula 1 races take place. The broad branching is divided by tracks separately built for racing and tracks carved out of existing public roads. When the F1 circus is traveling to a certain part of the world where the drivers go racing on street circuits, public use of that area is closed off. The latest example of the same is the Las Vegas Circuit.

The F1 Explains podcast describes street circuits as, “A track that runs in a city center on what would normally be public roads. F1 comes in and takes over a city. Crash barriers come up, the pitlane and team garages are built, fan grandstands are put in, all within meters of apartment buildings, offices, grocery stores and offices, and everything else that’s there in a city.”

To look at why the street circuit was selected, we should know that in January 2020, a delegation arrived to recce potential sites for Formula 1. During the hunt and exploration, Corniche stood out. It was a narrow strip of reclaimed land alongside the Red Sea. It was a wide and flowing road that housed lagoons, parking, and open space; a site very favorable for a street circuit.

“The site on the Corniche in Jeddah stood out,” explains Ross Brawn, F1 Managing Director, Motorsport. “It’s on the coast, so we have great panorama but more importantly, we’ve been able to build a really exciting street circuit.” And the rest is history.

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Which street circuit is your favorite?