Another in the selection of new F1 tracks on the calendar, Jeddah became the fifth Formula One night race from 2021.
It was the scene of an epic World Championship showdown between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in its first edition in November 2021, with the 2022 race also providing plenty of highlights at the start of the season.
A street circuit with the Jeddah Corniche on one side and the city on the other, the Jeddah circuit is the second longest track on the calendar behind Spa; as well as being on average the second fastest circuit behind Monza.
With two eventful races in its short history already, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is sure to provide much entertainment over the coming years.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a motor racing street circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, designed by Carsten Tilke, son of the famed circuit designer Hermann Tilke.
Construction began in April 2021, just over eight months before the inaugural race was scheduled, requiring 37,000 tons of asphalt, 600,000 tons of cement, 30,000 square metres of bricks and 1,400 tons of glass.
The circuit staged the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021 as the penultimate race on the 2021 Formula One season calendar. The circuit is located on the Jeddah Corniche adjoining the Red Sea, approximately 12 km north of the city centre.
The Formula One track has a length of 6.174 km (3.836 mi), the third longest on the Formula One calendar after Spa-Francorchamps and Las Vegas.
It is also the fastest street course, with a record average speed of 254.6 km (158.2 mi) for the 2025 pole position.
Named as the "fastest street track" on the Formula 1 calendar, drivers can average around 250km/h (160mph). The circuit features 27 turns and 3 potential DRS detection zones, providing plenty of opportunities for drivers to gain an advantage and overtake their rivals.
Top speeds at Jeddah reach 322km/h, with the hairpin at Turn 13 featuring twelve degrees of banking. The circuit's narrow confines combined with high speeds make it one of the most challenging and crash-prone venues on the Formula One calendar.
The circuit skirts the Red Sea and encircles a lagoon, producing spectacular racing under floodlights. From 2022 to 2024, the race was held in March, the weekend before Ramadan, and since 2025, the race is held in April, after Ramadan.
The inaugural 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a historic event in Formula One history. The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, held on December 5, 2021, was a dramatic event filled with multiple crashes and intense battles, particularly between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who were contending for the championship.
In the championship battle, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were separated by just eight points before arriving in Jeddah with two races remaining.
The race at Jeddah was laced with toxicity, controversy and acrimony, with the officials struggling to retain control of the situation, with Verstappen twice going wide into Turn 1 and missing Turn 2 to hold position.
Since Lewis Hamilton won the first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull have won all three editions since, with one-two finishes in 2023 and 2024. Max Verstappen has won multiple times at Jeddah, including his ninth consecutive race win at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Hamilton's 2021 victory at Jeddah was one of his hardest-fought, with both he and Verstappen looking utterly drained after the grueling race that featured dramatic moments and multiple penalties.
In 2022, the final 10 laps saw a battle for the ages between Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, with each lap seeing changes in the race lead, as both drivers realised a trick to manipulate the DRS detection points.
In 2024, Oliver Bearman made a Ferrari debut at just 18 years and 305 days old, becoming one of the youngest drivers to debut in Formula One after Carlos Sainz was sidelined by appendicitis.
Current F1 drivers have described Jeddah as 'really quick', 'pretty insane', 'crazy' and offering excellent racing opportunities. The unique combination of high-speed straights, technical corners, and the stunning coastal setting along the Red Sea creates an exhilarating racing experience.
Drivers appreciate the fast, flowing nature of the wide boulevards built during Jeddah's development, offering a beautiful track despite its demanding characteristics.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is held as a full-night race on the Formula One calendar, joining the likes of Singapore and Bahrain.
The grandstands along the main straight provide an excellent view of the start/finish line and pit lane action, while the grandstands near Turn 13, a sweeping banked corner, offer a fantastic vantage point for the high-speed drama.
The circuit is set to host the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix until at least 2027, after which there are plans to move the race to a new purpose-built facility in Qiddiya.
Jeddah is Saudi Arabia's most popular tourist region and is considered the gateway to the religiously important city of Mecca, which is a pilgrimage site for millions of Muslims each year.
The Red Sea coastal location provides a unique setting for Formula One racing, with Jeddah offering rich cultural heritage, traditional architecture, and modern attractions.
The city's waterfront provides stunning views of the Arabian coastline, and visitors can explore the historic old city while experiencing world-class motorsport action.
A covered Grandstand on the main straight, Main Grandstand A gives you a direct view of the start/finish line and the pit lane. Being a street circuit, you will feel particularly close to the action and will have a chance to get some fantastic photo opportunities of the pit crews working on the cars throughout the weekend. Close to the F1 fanzone, you are never far away from anything you need across the course of the weekend.
Thanks to the popularity of the inaugural race in 2021, the Main Grandstand had Grandstand B built for the 2022 race, which is further along the main straight heading into turn 1. Where Grandstand A will give you a close-up experience of the start/finish straight and pitlane, Grandstand B will allow you to catch the cars battle each other into turn 1 and through the twisty first few corners.
Grandstand B is as close as the A to the main Fanzone, and you will also have a view of the podium from your seats here.
Further down the track through Turns 4-10 sit the Central Grandstands, a set of four stands that are the only other seated options on the track. Similar to the Main Grandstands, the Central Grandstands have extended from two to four.
The action will be never far away from these seats, with this section of track a fast set of corners where, when an F1 car is in full flight, will look like it is driving on rails. Here you will see plenty of action, with these corners the scene of plenty of incidents in both the 2021 and 2022 race weekends.
You can explore the remainder of the track with a bridge in between the four stands allowing you to cross over which will give you a nice view of the waterfront.
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