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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
Saudi Arabia has released computer-generated images of its planned new racing circuit in Qiddiya, which will feature a 20-storey-high elevated first corner and a swimming pool overlooking a section of track.
Since joining the F1 calendar in 2021, Saudi Arabia has hosted its grand prix on a street circuit in Jeddah, with the fourth running of the race set to take place this weekend.
The Qiddiya circuit, which is part of a wider construction project 30 miles from the capital city of Riyadh, is not due to be ready until 2027 at the earliest.
Qiddiya is expected to replace Jeddah on the F1 calendar, although the chairman of the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al Faisal, made clear last year that Saudi Arabia is willing to host two races per season if an agreement can be reached with F1.
The proposed track in Qiddiya has been designed by ex-F1 driver Alex Wurz alongside established circuit designer Herman Tilke and features 21 corners and 108 metres of elevation change.
The latest images reveal plans for an elevated first corner, known as Blade, which rises 70 metres above a concert space below.
A Six Flags theme park will run parallel to part of the track, which is set to feature the world’s tallest, longest and fastest rollercoaster.
Another image shows a glass-bottomed swimming pool suspended over the entrance to one of the corners.
Abdullah Aldawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company said: “The Speed Park Track will be a true embodiment of Qiddiya’s power of play philosophy and position Qiddiya City as the home of Saudi motorsport and one of the world’s leading motorsport venues.
“Visitors and spectators will be treated to one of the most unique race experiences in the world with a pioneering track that will be ready to host some of the world’s biggest motorsport events.”
In 2020, Saudi Arabia signed a ten-year contract with Formula One to host a race in the country from 2021 onwards.
The deal, worth $55 million a year for the sport, followed a ten-year sponsorship agreement with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company Aramco worth over $450m.
The combination of the two marks the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as one of the biggest single contributors to F1’s coffers.
F1’s close association with Saudi Arabia has led to multiple accusations of sportswashing from human rights groups since 2020.
In a statement after the decade-long contract was announced, Amnesty International said Saudi Arabian authorities “see elite-level sport as a means of rebranding their severely tarnished reputation”.
At the second running of the race in 2022, a nearby missile strike launched by Yemen’s Houthis overshadowed the event in Jeddah.
The attack on an Aramco oil facility six miles east of the circuit resulted in a two-day inferno and a cloud of black smoke on the horizon as cars lapped the street circuit.
Source: www.espn.com