In decades of motoring, Saudi Arabia never featured as a motor sport capitalneither as a city with many fans nor has it stood out as a hotbed of pilots, however, it is now part of the Formula 1 calendar despite the odds.
It was in the year 2021 when it was run for the first time on the street layout of Jeddah amid a series of criticisms not only for the layout, but also the paddock, which was not ready on time, so that the pilots and staff of the teams still found dust and unfinished works. The circuit was also too narrow and had lighting problems, for which it became one of the most criticized and dangerous, because it is also one of the fastest.
In 2022, the free practices began with the attacks by Houthis from Yemen on an Arab oil company in the background and after a ceasefire for three days, the Grand Prix could be carried out, also criticized for having reached Formula 1 at the point of bills.
Liberty, the firm that owns Formula 1, has been pointed out for handling a double discourse against racism, for example, and on the other hand holding races in countries that are constantly pointed out for violating human rights, especially with women.
How did Arabia get to Formula 1?
Formula 1 has been a global phenomenon for several years and before the boom with the pandemic, Arabia had raised the checkbook… I mean, the handto bring a Grand Prix to their territory, once experienced with Formula E.
In 2019 it was announced that the organization of Arabia put more than 50 million euros on the table to be included in the Formula 1 calendar. In total there were 55 million euros as a fee to enter the Great Circus at the end of the 2021 season and currently has a contract until 2025, in exchange for those 55 million euros for each race.
This represents the largest annual quota in the entire calendar, along with Qatar and Azerbaijan, according to data from motor.es. These data reveal that Mexico, for example, pays an annual fee of 25 million euros. Meanwhile, the one that pays the least is Monaco, with 15 million.
Why the Arabian Grand Prix entered Formula 1?
Don’t you think you’ve listened to Arabia many times in the last few months? At the end of 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo reached the league in this country, and there is also talk of Arabia as a candidate for the World Cup.
This has to do with a kind of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to convey a new image of the country and boost tourism, and this plan is built from now until 2030, so if you keep hearing the name of this oil country, you know what the reason is.
Arabia, for now, is part of the Formula 1 plans in its increasingly extensive calendars, of which Russia and China are no longer part, and with everything and criticism, at least He already gave Checo Pérez his first pole position, in 2022.
