Photo: Formula 1
We’ve seen a few tracks being added to the Formula 1 calendar in the past years, causing a fierce debate about overextending and possibly exhausting the teams.
One of the venues added during this stretching of the calendar was the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix held at the Jeddah Cornice Circuit. This track held its inaugural F1 race in 2021 and was only supposed to be raced on until a new venue was completed.
The facility in question will be situated in the city of Qiddiya on the outskirts of Riyadh. However, progress is slower than initially anticipated, and as such, Jeddah now has to host the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix until as far as 2027.
Consequently, some temporary facilities are now being made permanent. On top of that, track officials are working on future-proofing the circuit and becoming compliant with F1 and FIA regulations.
Safety concerns were also a key issue concerning the Saudi Arabia GP, as made prominent by the Aramco facility incident which disturbed last year’s first practice session. The cancelation of the race weekend was in discussion as a likely outcome.
Martin Whitaker, the CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company, stepped in to provide assurances that safety would not be an issue and the weekend went on as normal. Since then, he made sure to underline this message for the Formula 1 community so we’re eager to see an incident-free weekend this year.
In a related turn of events, the race at Jeddah is also going to have its timeline changed. After talks with the Australian GP officials, the two tracks have agreed to swap dates due to the original schedule potentially conflicting with the month of Ramadan.
This is still to be discussed with F1 and the FIA in order to become official, but we might see the Saudi Arabia GP become the opening weekend for the sport in 2024. Whether that change comes to pass, we will learn later in the year.
As far as Qiddiya is concerned, Whitaker only gave sparse information. According to him, “the Qiddiya automotive center is being designed to lead the world in Formula 1 circuit design and entertainment. A unique and exciting project, Qiddiya will be a location that everyone will want to visit. But right now and in the immediate future the focus and eyes of the world will be on Jeddah and the Red Sea coastline in the month of March.”
His statement sounds promising, for both the fans in attendance at the track and those watching the live broadcast at home. However, we should keep in mind that Whitaker’s job is promoting the race, so this statement is best taken with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, we look forward to seeing a new track being raced on in the not-so-distant future.
The facility in question will be situated in the city of Qiddiya on the outskirts of Riyadh. However, progress is slower than initially anticipated, and as such, Jeddah now has to host the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix until as far as 2027.
Consequently, some temporary facilities are now being made permanent. On top of that, track officials are working on future-proofing the circuit and becoming compliant with F1 and FIA regulations.
Safety concerns were also a key issue concerning the Saudi Arabia GP, as made prominent by the Aramco facility incident which disturbed last year’s first practice session. The cancelation of the race weekend was in discussion as a likely outcome.
Martin Whitaker, the CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company, stepped in to provide assurances that safety would not be an issue and the weekend went on as normal. Since then, he made sure to underline this message for the Formula 1 community so we’re eager to see an incident-free weekend this year.
In a related turn of events, the race at Jeddah is also going to have its timeline changed. After talks with the Australian GP officials, the two tracks have agreed to swap dates due to the original schedule potentially conflicting with the month of Ramadan.
This is still to be discussed with F1 and the FIA in order to become official, but we might see the Saudi Arabia GP become the opening weekend for the sport in 2024. Whether that change comes to pass, we will learn later in the year.
As far as Qiddiya is concerned, Whitaker only gave sparse information. According to him, “the Qiddiya automotive center is being designed to lead the world in Formula 1 circuit design and entertainment. A unique and exciting project, Qiddiya will be a location that everyone will want to visit. But right now and in the immediate future the focus and eyes of the world will be on Jeddah and the Red Sea coastline in the month of March.”
His statement sounds promising, for both the fans in attendance at the track and those watching the live broadcast at home. However, we should keep in mind that Whitaker’s job is promoting the race, so this statement is best taken with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, we look forward to seeing a new track being raced on in the not-so-distant future.
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