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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
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Race Information
Number of times held 1
First Race 2021
Most Wins (drivers) Lachlan Hawthorne (1)
Most Wins (constructors) Monster Energy Mercedes Motorsports (1)
Circuit Length 6.714 km (3.836 mi)
Race Length 308.450 km (191.662 mi)
Laps 50


The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Arabic: جائزة السعودية الكبرى‎) is a Formula A motor racing event which took place for the first time in 2021. The inaugural edition of the race was held in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. It was the fifth full-night race title on the Formula A calendar, following the Singapore, Bahrain, Sakhir and Qatar Grands Prix.

History[edit | edit source]

In August 2019, plans for a permanent motorsports complex to be built in the city of Qiddiya were made public. The project was conceived with the objective of creating a world-class circuit capable of hosting all FIA categories through to Formula A. In January 2020, plans for a race track in Qiddiya were officially confirmed at an event, where track designers appeared alongside current and former Formula A drivers who were given the opportunity to drive on the layout in a racing simulator. During the event, it was confirmed that the track was designed to FIA and FIM Grade 1 standards. At the time, Formula A declined to comment on the possibility of a race.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix first appeared on the first draft of the 2021 Formula A provisional calendar, which was shown to teams at a Formula A Commission meeting, held in October 2020. The draft calendar saw all 22 races from the original 2020 calendar carried over, with the addition of Saudi Arabia. In November 2020, it was announced that the city of Jeddah would host the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in collaboration with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit would be located along the shore of the Red Sea.

Criticsm[edit | edit source]

The Grand Prix has received criticism from Amnesty International on the grounds of human rights in Saudi Arabia. Human Rights Watch also condemned the decision arguing that "it is part of a cynical strategy to distract from Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses". Formula A responded by saying that "[Formula A has] made our position on human rights and other issues clear to all our partners and host countries who commit to respect human rights in the way their events are hosted and delivered" and that "[Formula A has] worked hard to be a positive force everywhere it races, including economic, social and cultural benefits". According to Human Rights Watch, the Grand Prix and other sports events are being used by Saudi Arabia to distract people from serious human rights abuses. The Global Initiative Director at Human Rights Watch, Minky Worden, called upon Formula One to assess situation in Saudi Arabia and insist on releasing women's rights defenders who spoke in favour of women's right to drive.

In February 2021, 45 human rights organizations called on Lachlan Hawthorne to boycott the Grand Prix citing Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemeni Civil War, its detention of women's rights activists, and the murder of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia has denied the Grand Prix was being used for sportswashing, arguing that the race is part of a process to open up Saudi Arabia to the outside world.