Featured Image Credit: Qiddiya Investment Company
Saudi Arabia has recently become a fixture on the Formula One circuit, and the country's motorsports ambitions are only growing.
Instead of using a street circuit that has to be built and disassembled for the Grand Prix every year, the country is aiming to construct an all-new permanent track in Qiddiya City, outside Riyadh - which is described as 'a global entertainment, sports, and culture hub in the making'.
The track will intertwine with massive hotels and even a rollercoaster, with neon lights and loads of viewpoints. It all looks incredibly futuristic in the clips and concept images that have been released so far.
The future of racing is coming to #QiddiyaCity 🏎️🏁☁️#PlayLife pic.twitter.com/6SHxV3uLba
— Qiddiya (@qiddiya_en) March 5, 2024
The circuit is estimated to be completed by 2027, which is just in time, as Saudi Arabia has a contract signed until 2030 for F1 races.
The track will have 21 corners, including a wild section called 'The Blade' which peaks at a staggering 108 meters in the air.
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In fact, that elevation, its steeply-banked turns, and the bright colours and lights in the concept art make it look like a real-life version of a Mario Kart track. Even its name, the Speed Park Track, feels like it could be out of a videogame.
That rollercoaster next to it, by the way, is also slated to be the tallest and fastest in the world when it's done - further confirming how bold Qiddiya's ambitions really are.
With hotel viewing platforms and balconies that, in some places, extend fully over the track, it's clear that there will also be a lot of places for F1 fans to enjoy the race from.
Rising 20 storeys above ground level, discover a unique elevated corner unlike anywhere else in the world 🏎️🏁☁️ #QiddiyaCity #PlayLife pic.twitter.com/dX4PqLqsGD
— Qiddiya (@qiddiya_en) March 5, 2024
It also suggests that Saudi Arabia's ongoing project to make itself internationally relevant across a range of sports isn't going to slow down - and soon this Qiddiya track could replace Jeddah's Grand Prix.
The past couple of years have seen the country also make massive investments in its domestic football (or soccer) league, tempting major stars away from European clubs with the promise of unbelievable pay checks even late in their career.
When you add all of this to enormous infrastructure projects like the ongoing bid to build a 170km-long city in the form of a landscraper, The Line, you really start to get a sense of just how wealthy Saudi Arabia really is right now.
