Images: Qiddiya
Qiddiya, one of Saudi Arabia’s ‘giga-projects’ under its Vision 2030 masterplan, has announced more details of its Speed Track motorsport facility, which is set to become the future home of Formula 1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The track will be located in the heart of Qiddiya and will be capable of hosting the “largest motorsport events in the world”. The facility has been designed by German racetrack designer Hermann Tilke, who has been responsible for a host of F1 facilities, and former F1 driver Alex Wurz.
Speed Track will feature 21 turns – the first of which will climb 20 storeys high – and incorporate street-circuit elements. Qiddiya said the track will replace traditional stands with multiple viewing points and balconies.
The first turn, dubbed The Blade, will rise above a music performance arena and the Al Saqr rollercoaster, which will form part of the Qiddiya Six Flags theme park. The track details have been announced ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP, which will take place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Saudi Arabia debuted on the F1 calendar in 2021. The Jeddah track is a street circuit but there are plans for the race to eventually move to the purpose-built Qiddiya facility. In January 2020, Qiddiya Investment Company said its new motorsport venue would be ready by 2023, but the project has faced delays.
No date has been set for when the Saudi Arabian GP will move to Qiddiya, but Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) chief executive Martin Whitaker has previously said that Jeddah will continue hosting until at least 2027.
Qiddiya could also become home to a MotoGP event in the future. In September 2022, the series’ commercial rights-holder Dorna Sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SMC with a view to staging an annual grand prix in the country.
Plans for Speed Track have been announced after more details emerged recently on Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, a new multi-purpose venue that will form part of Qiddiya.
The 45,000-seat stadium will be located in Qiddiya City on the 200-metre-high Tuwaiq cliff near the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Qiddiya said the “futuristic” Populous-designed venue would be capable of hosting some of Saudi Arabia’s biggest sports, entertainment and cultural events.
In December, Qiddiya unveiled plans for what it claims will be a pioneering new gaming and esports district in Qiddiya City. The district would provide access to the new stadium.
Qiddiya City has been pitched as a “one-of-a-kind” destination located on the outskirts of Riyadh, with construction contracts worth SAR10bn (£2.1bn/€2.45bn/$2.67bn) having been awarded. It will eventually feature 60,000 buildings and house over 600,000 residents.
In September, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and chairman of the board of directors of Qiddiya Investment Company, dismissed claims that Saudi Arabia’s vast investment in sports events and properties represents ‘sportswashing’, stating that he “doesn’t care” about this label so long as it continues to boost GDP.
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