Whether Cristiano Ronaldo is an F1 fan or not, he will be under no obligation to attend the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this year.
The nation is set to host its third edition of the race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this Sunday and Max Verstappen will hope he can continue his dominance by securing a second straight win. One of those who many expected to be in the stands watching the pulsating action was the five-time Champions League winner.
Following a messy departure from Manchester United in December, the Portuguese international joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. There were claims that, as part of his mega £173 million per year contract with the Middle Eastern club, he is requested to attend the Grand Prix.
However, Mirror Football understands that is not the case - and he is also expected to be on international duty with Portugal whilst the event takes place.
He previously attended the Monaco GP in 2019 and posed for a snap with Lewis Hamilton, who went on to win that particular race. In 2021, while playing for Juventus FC, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner visited the Ferrari factory in Maranello and met their drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Improvements have been made to the Saudi Arabia GP circuit this year following complaints from drivers about the high speed nature of the track coupled with poor visibility. After consultation with the FIA, F1 and the drivers, amendments were carried out last year in partnership with racing circuit constructors Tilke GmBH.
To improve the driver's sightline in certain areas of the track, adjustments were made with the walls at Turns 14 and 20 being put back by 7.5m and 5m respectively, along with changes made at Turns 8 and 10. To combat any increased speeds as a result of the amended turns, 'Rumble Lines' that slow cars down have been added at Turns 3, 14, 19, 20, and 21, along with bevelled kerbs at Turns 4, 8, 10, 11, 17, and 23.
The final major change took place at the Turns 22 and 23 chicane, which was relaid to reduce speeds by 50kph (31 mph). "It was interesting, the dynamic when Formula 1 and the FIA were here," explained Track Operations Manager Gary Palmer assessing the process behind the work.
"Because you almost had the FIA saying: 'It's a street circuit, it's not designed to have permanent lines of sight on every corner.'
"One of the arguments against changing the lines of sight in every corner, is because the circuit is fast already, if we give drivers more visibility of lines and corners, it's going to make it even quicker. We actually pushed back on a lot of the [about 40] changes requested.
"It's a fine line to tread between adapting it to what the drivers totally want versus the demands for a street circuit. There's been a lot of work and investment made to make this circuit as perfect as it can be."
