Saudi Arabia 'considering' second F1 GP bid

Jack Walker
Saturday 18 March 2023 12:34 - Updated: 12:39

Saudi Arabia could host two grands prix a year, race organisers have revealed.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosts the second round of the current F1 season, and the sport could be returning more often in the near future.

Sunday's race on the Jeddah Corniche circuit – the fastest street circuit on the calendar – will be the third grand prix held in the kingdom.

The first two editions of the race were both incredibly captivating, with Lewis Hamilton coming out on top in 2021, and Max Verstappen beating Charles Leclerc to the chequered flag last year.

As per Reuters, Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation chairman Prince Khalid bin Sultan al-Abdullah al-Faisal said, “Saudi Arabia is a very big market, we have a strong economy.

“The idea of having two races in Saudi is doable.

“F1 is growing, there is a lot of demand here and because Saudi is big, the regions are so far away, it’s like the States.

“You have three races in the States because the market is big there and there is a demand. The demand is there, (but) the decision is not made.

“There are a lot of things that we need to consider and I don’t know if even we want to host two races here, is it practical and feasible for FOM and the teams?

“We built this track to last, so in theory, yes we can have two races. The sport is growing, the demand is growing, so I would not be surprised if Saudi, in the near future, will host two races, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“The demand is there and we have two beautiful facilities.”

Two races and two venues?

The second facility mentioned by Prince Khalid is a new track in the 'entertainment city' of Qiddiya – situated near Riyadh.

The track, which features a 'semi-street' layout, has been in construction since 2019.

“We think we will go there in ’27 and ’28.

“The feedback from FOM and the people who watch the race, they love the track.

“The track is at the centre of Qiddiya. They are re-doing the master plans because things change on these big projects.

“We can’t just build a track and we are surrounded by construction sites. Part of the track is going inside the city. It’s a permanent circuit but part of it is inside the city, besides hotels and more so it’s like a hybrid between a permanent circuit and a street circuit.

“There’s going to be hotels, there’s going to be parks, there’s going to be a lot of things around it.

“We can’t just finish the track and move the race to Qiddiya while it’s a construction site. So we want to go there when the project, the city, is completed.”

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