Saudis signal ambition with futuristic $480m racetrack

Initial glances at the future of Formula One in Saudi Arabia look like something out of another galaxy.

- KIERAN JACKSON F1 CORRESPONDENT

In fact, fans online have likened the renderings of Qiddiya Speed Park, due for completion in 2027 at a cost of $480m (£360m), to Rainbow Road in the video game Mario Kart. And with a 70m incline at turn one, nicknamed “The Blade”, it’s not actually as outlandish a comparison as it might seem.

Yet as the sport returns to Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the world’s quickest street track, for round five of the 2025 F1 season this weekend, the future of Saudi investment in the pinnacle of world motorsport looks somewhat limitless.

In a recent press call, Saudi Motorsport Company chair Prince Khalid bin Sultan al-Faisal talked in depth about the Qiddiya “megaproject”, currently under construction 30 miles from the capital city of Riyadh. He spoke of Saudi desires to host the first race of the season, even though The Independent understands Australia is the frontrunner to once again stage the season opener in 2026.

And he even mooted the prospect of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund buying an F1 team in the future. “There is a space available,” he said. “There are only 11 out of 12 [possible teams], and also potentially one or two teams that might be for sale in the future. I mean, it could happen.”

If Saudi’s pursuits in other sports – most prominently, football, boxing and golf – have taught us anything, the mega-rich Gulf country usually sets out to achieve what it strives for, despite a constant background of sportswashing accusations, given the country’s poor human rights record.