Saudi Arabia releases AI images of new circuit in Qiddiya،
Saudi Arabia has released computer-generated images of its planned new racing circuit in Qiddiya, which will feature a 20-story elevated first turn and a swimming pool overlooking a section of track.
Since joining the F1 calendar in 2021, Saudi Arabia has held its grand prix on a street circuit in Jeddah, with the fourth edition of the race due to take place this weekend.
The Qiddiya circuit, part of a larger construction project 30 miles from the capital Riyadh, is not expected to be ready until 2027 at the earliest.
Qiddiya is expected to replace Jeddah on the F1 calendar, although the president of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al Faisal, made it clear last year that Saudi Saudi Arabia was ready to host two races per season if an agreement was reached. can be reached with F1.
The proposed track at Qiddiya was designed by former F1 driver Alex Wurz alongside established circuit designer Herman Tilke and features 21 turns and 108 meters of vertical drop.
The latest images reveal plans for an elevated first turn, known as Blade, which rises 70 meters above a concert hall below.
A Six Flags theme park will run parallel to part of the track, which will feature the world's tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster.
Another image shows a glass-bottomed swimming pool suspended above the entrance to one of the corners.
Abdullah Aldawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company, said: “The Speed Park Track will be a true embodiment of the Qiddiya gaming philosophy and will position Qiddiya City as the home of Saudi motorsport and one of the premier venues for motorsport in the world.
“Visitors and spectators will experience one of the most unique racing experiences in the world with a pioneering track that will be ready to host some of the biggest motorsport events in the world.”
In 2020, Saudi Arabia signed a ten-year contract with Formula 1 to host a race in the country starting in 2021.
The deal, worth $55 million a year to the sport, follows a 10-year sponsorship deal with Saudi state oil company Aramco worth more than $450 million.
The combination of the two makes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia one of the biggest contributors to F1's coffers.
F1's close association with Saudi Arabia has led to multiple accusations of sportswashing from human rights groups since 2020.
In a statement released after the 10-year contract was announced, Amnesty International said Saudi authorities “see elite sport as a way to burnish their badly tarnished reputation.”
During the second edition of the race in 2022, a missile strike launched nearby by Yemen's Houthis overshadowed the event in Jeddah.
The attack on an Aramco oil facility six miles east of the circuit caused a two-day inferno and a cloud of black smoke on the horizon as cars raced around the street circuit.
