The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix’s move to the new track in Qiddiya, the entertainment and tourism ‘megaproject’ dubbed “the world’s first city built for play” currently in construction just outside Riyadh, could be pushed back to as late as 2029, with the Jeddah Corniche Circuit continuing to host the race for as long as required.
The Qiddiya track, designed by Tilke Engineers and Architects and former F1 driver Alex Wurz, is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The original intention was for the circuit to take over the hosting of the race in 2024, but when plans for Qiddiya expanded that was delayed.
The precise timeline is still uncertain, given it’s not simply a case of building the track, which will be ready in two years’ time, but also the status of work elsewhere on the site that measures almost 400 square kilometres.
“The track is going to be ready in ’27, so it’s going to be determined by the other surrounding projects [in terms of] if you’re going to be finished on time or there’s going to be, [because] sometimes in these megaprojects there are, delays,” said Saudi Motorsport Company chairman Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal when asked by The Race about the timeline for the move.
“We're not in a rush to move from Jeddah. If everything goes well and we feel comfortable, and Formula 1 feels comfortable going there, we think not before '27, so we're thinking about '28, maybe '29. But next year, we'll have a better understanding on when exactly we can move there.”
What it means for Jeddah
Jeddah was originally conceived as a short-term home for the event when it became clear that initial plans for the Qiddiya track to host the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix would have to be postponed. It was constructed in double-quick time to allow the first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to be staged in 2021.
Although notionally a street track, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is purpose-built and efforts have been made to expand its use with other racing categories, notably Formula E.
It will continue to be an active circuit once Qiddiya is ready, which has led to suggestions that it could be used for a second F1 race in Saudi Arabia, or even rotate with Qiddiya. The latter option, however, seems unlikely given the investment in Qiddiya.
“To have two races or rotate between Qiddiya and Jeddah, it is too early to discuss,” said Prince Khalid.
“Our main focus now is to enjoy what’s remaining in Jeddah and look forward to move to the new facility in Qiddiya and take things forward from there when we reach that point. But it's too early, we have nothing in plan.
“It has been said in the media a couple of years ago about having two races in Saudi Arabia. I don't think with the calendar now it's something possible and we haven't actually discussed this idea between us.”
Although it’s true the calendar is congested, Saudi Arabia has the spending power to make two races – one in Jeddah on the Red Sea in the west and the other to the east near capital Riyadh – possible. The belief is there would be enough interest to make both races work.
“We would like to host two races. Jeddah and Riyadh are two different regions and two different markets – and Saudi Arabia is a very big market,” said Prince Khalid.
“But is it feasible given the complicated calendar?”
“We know that we have a market in Saudi Arabia, but it's something that we haven't thought about. Let's see what the demand will be when we move to Riyadh and maybe discuss it once we move to Riyadh and see if we can have two races, which I really doubt [as] some [argue] we have already four races in the Middle East.
“But I personally would like to see two races in Saudi. The United States has three races after Las Vegas was introduced. Saudi Arabia is a very big country. It can happen, but will it happen? It's too early to discuss this.”
This weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah will be the fifth to be staged. The track remains unchanged from last year, although there has been further development in the general area designed to draw more people to the Corniche area to use the various facilities, which extend far beyond the racing activities.
Prince Khalid added that if there is “strong demand” for a race to continue to be hosted there then it would be possible to do so either as a second race or on a rotational basis.
