Within the space of four weeks, Jeddah staged two high-profile international racing events on land and sea. The E1 World Championship brought electric powerboat racing to the Red Sea waterfront, before Formula E returned to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit under floodlights. From racing on water to racing on asphalt, the city is demonstrating its capacity to host multiple top-tier events in quick succession.
Saudi Arabia may have been a relatively late entrant to racing, but the Kingdom’s ambition to deliver world-class events has quickly established the Jeddah Corniche Circuit one of the standout venues on the international motorsport calendar. Fast, flowing and unforgiving, it has built a reputation as the world’s fastest Formula 1 street circuit. Those characteristics have resonated with drivers and spectators alike, helping draw strong attendances year after year.
“We had a lot of requests from car clubs – from local clubs, Porsche, Lamborghini and others – to come and race here,” said HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Motorsport Company.
Photo by: Saudi Ministry Of Sport
“A lot of drivers say they want to come to race at this exciting, thrilling and dangerous track. That’s why when the drivers get out of the car for the first time, they say, ‘wow, this is something else’.”
Saudi Arabia’s modern motorsport journey began in 2018 when the all-electric Formula E series visited the Diriyah heritage site in Riyadh for a street race. Since then, the Kingdom has added Formula 1, the Dakar Rally and GT World Challenge Europe to its portfolio. Each addition has strengthened its presence on the global racing map, with Jeddah playing an increasingly central role. In that time, more than half a million spectators have attended motorsport events across the country, a reflection of the rapid growth in the region. Saudi Arabia has also become popular among fans of football, tennis, cycling, wrestling, with three million international visitors attending more than 150 global sporting events in the country.
“In Saudi, we’re a big fan of racing, and we love to share what we have, and share our vision and what we want to achieve through motorsports,” explained Prince Khalid.
“To all the people from the world, ‘come and race with us, come for entertainment, come for a holiday, and you’ll have a good time in Saudi Arabia and a unique experience’. That’s what we want, we want to offer a unique experience.”
Jeddah’s coastal setting has played a key role in shaping that identity. As a vibrant city on the Red Sea, it combines international connectivity with an expanding sports and entertainment offering and a growing portfolio of global events. With further races to come later in the year, including Formula 1 in April, the momentum shows little sign of slowing down. By bringing together land and sea-based competition within weeks of each other, Jeddah is not only broadening its motorsport credentials but reinforcing its position as one of the world’s most prominent sporting centers.
