Damon Hill concerned by ‘high risk’ Saudi Arabian Grand Prix track making F1 debut

Damon Hill has raised concerns about the track Formula 1 drivers will race on for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The location is the next destination for the F1 season which will see Lewis Hamilton attempt to close the gap between himself and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman is just eight points ahead of Hamilton with two races remaining.

But it could be a treacherous race with Hill telling the F1 Nation podcast: “The track we’re going to discover, I think it’s going be a big challenge, by the looks of things.

“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.”

The track will be an unknow entity for drivers as it makes its debut in the F1 on 5 December. It has already been billed as the fastest street circuit in the world which makes it exciting for Hill.

He added: “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.”

Verstappen is aiming to win his first world title while Hamilton is going for a record eighth championship.