Formula One Races in Jeddah

Formula One races in Jeddah City mark a global car racing event hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time in its history from December 3 to 5, 2021, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit overlooking the Red Sea on the western coast of the Kingdom, in cooperation between the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation within a fifteen-year partnership with Formula One.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit for Formula One was constructed to be the longest street circuit, stretching 6.174 km, and the fastest, with an average lap speed of 252 km/h. The circuit includes a 280-m-long, four-story building built as per global specifications.

The circuit was designed by the German architect Carsten Tilke and it ranks as the second longest circuit on the 2021 Formula One calendar, following the historic Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Jeddah Circuit includes twenty-seven turns and was completed in less than twelve months, making it one of the fastest street circuits, with speeds higher than any other street circuit in Formula One. It includes long straights and high-speed turns, and its speed places it among the five fastest circuits in the world. It is worth mentioning that the speeds acquired by Formula One drivers reached up to 322 km/h while braking into the turn twenty-seventh.

In addition, three consecutive zones on the circuit were designated for the possible activation of the Drag Reduction System (DRS) for Formula One cars during the race, ensuring plenty of overtaking opportunities for drivers throughout the night race.

The construction of the circuit, located around twelve km north of central Jeddah City, witnessed a national and international collaboration as per the highest safety standards. Over three thousand contractors from approximately fifty companies, including local firms, worked on the project. International suppliers from Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy also provided vital support during the construction.

Aerial view of Formula One race circuit in Jeddah. (SaudiPedia)

The global race launch on December 5, 2021, was followed closely nationally and internationally as the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attended the launch of the Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in the penultimate round of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship, in its seventy-first season.

Accompanying the Crown Prince at the event were HRH Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, crown prince and prime minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal, minister of sport, and HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al Faisal, president of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, along with FIA President Jean Todt and numerous international and GCC officials and motorsport enthusiasts.

This international event was named the "Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix" following a strategic partnership agreement between the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and stc to strengthen local partnerships and create a qualitative leap in sponsoring global sporting events.

Formula One has a massive global following, with a fan base exceeding five hundred million fans and 1.9 billion TV viewers.

The Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix featured participation from several renowned teams with extensive experience in this type of race, including Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, AlphaTauri, Alpine, Alfa Romeo, Williams, and Haas.

The race held in the Kingdom resulted in top performances by famous drivers who set records on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The British driver Lewis Hamilton, driving for Mercedes, ranked first in 2:06:15.118 hrs. The Dutch Max Verstappen of Red Bull-Honda came second with a time of 21.825s, while the Finnish Valtteri Bottas, also from Mercedes, ranked third with a time of 27.531s. The French Esteban Ocon, representing Alpine-Renault, came fourth with a time of 27.633s, and the Australian Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren-Mercedes finished fifth with a time of 40.121s.

The Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 achieved record-breaking viewership numbers, thanks to the meticulous organization that recognized the importance of global follow-up and promotion of this significant event in the world of motorsports. These record figures included views on social media platforms, particularly YouTube, and the "Sky Sports Formula One" channel, which holds the broadcasting rights.

The official Formula One YouTube channel’s video of the closing ceremony of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix reached 6,351,491 views. The race itself attracted 2.66 million viewers on the broadcast channel, the highest number of viewers recorded by the channel for a Formula One race since acquiring the live broadcasting rights ten years ago.

Given the global interest in all Formula One races, it remains the most-watched sport worldwide. It is broadcast in over two hundred countries, with a global audience of 1.92 billion. The championship sees 15.5 billion interactions across social media platforms and has over forty million followers on its social media channels.

The international reaction reflected on the Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix event, which witnessed notable media attendance, with 173 journalists from twenty-eight countries representing 129 media outlets. A dedicated "Media Island" was set up with large screens and high-speed internet to facilitate media coverage, ensuring the event reached as many sports fans globally as possible.

The Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2022 kicked off on March 25, 2022, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and lasted three days. This edition featured newly designed Formula One cars with innovations such as a focus on ground effect, eighteen-inch tires, and a front wing redesigned for increased flexibility during overtakes.

Twenty drivers representing ten global teams participated in the race, allowing them to adapt to the challenges of the Jeddah Circuit and test the new Formula One cars on the tight, high-speed sections. The race also included the Formula Two series, a key stepping stone for Formula One drivers, alongside the longest Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East, amidst various entertainment activities, festivals, and concerts held at the circuit.

The third edition of the Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix took place from March 17-19, 2023, featuring twenty drivers from ten teams competing for the drivers' and constructors' titles. Mexican driver Sergio Pérez of Red Bull Racing claimed victory after battling with Dutch driver Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion. George Russell of Mercedes finished third after a ten-second penalty was imposed on Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, dropping him to fourth place. In fifth was Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, followed by Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, in sixth, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, in seventh, Esteban Ocon, Alpine, in eighth, Pierre Gasly, Alpine, in ninth, and Kevin Magnussen, Haas, in tenth. In fact, 640 Saudi marshals contributed to organizing this prestigious global race.

The Formula One stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024, part of the second round of the World Championship, took place from March 7 to 9, 2024, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, marking the fourth consecutive year that the Kingdom has hosted this event. The race featured twenty drivers representing ten teams. Dutch driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull won first place, claiming his second title in the Kingdom. Mexican driver Sergio Pérez, also from Red Bull, came in second, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third. In fourth was Oscar Piastri, McLaren, followed by Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, in fifth, George Russell, Mercedes, in sixth, Oliver Bearman, Ferrari, in seventh, Lando Norris, McLaren, in eighth, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, in ninth, and Nico Hülkenberg, Haas, rounding out the top ten. A total of one thousand young men and women participated in organizing the 2024 race, with Saudi marshals making up 80 percent of the workforce. The roles of the marshals varied, from visible duties on the circuit or in front of TV screens to behind-the-scenes administrative roles. Teams are distributed to the emergency team, track team, media team, evacuation team, readiness and start area team, pit lane team, circuit team, and administrative team.