Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Arabic: جائزة السعودية الكبرى) is an annual Formula One 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, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, where it is scheduled to run the event until 2027. This Grand Prix was first scheduled as the penultimate race of the 2021 season, and was moved into an early-season slot since 2022. Formula One describes the Jeddah Corniche Circuit as the fastest street circuit in the sport, featuring 27 corners.

It is the fifth full-night race title on the Formula One calendar, following the Singapore, Bahrain, Sakhir and Qatar Grands Prix.

In August 2019, plans for a permanent motorsports complex to be built in Qiddiya City near the Saudi capital of Riyadh were made public. The project was conceived by Test and Training International, a motorsports consultancy headed by former Formula One driver Alexander Wurz, with the objective of creating a world-class circuit capable of hosting all FIA categories through to Formula One. In January 2020, plans for a race track in Qiddiya were officially confirmed at an event, where track designer Wurz appeared alongside current and former Formula One 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 One declined to comment on the possibility of a race.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix first appeared on the first draft of the 2021 Formula One provisional calendar, which was shown to teams at a Formula One 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.

In October 2022, Saudi Arabia's minister of sport Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud expressed interest in having both Jeddah and Qiddiya host annual Formula One races or for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to alternate between the two venues, once the Qiddiya track opens.

In January 2023, it was reported that race organisers expected that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix would be held in Jeddah until 2027 while work on the Qiddiya track continues after which the Jeddah circuit may still be used for a separate Saudi Arabian Formula One race alongside Qiddiya.

On 14 March 2026, due to the conflict between Iran and the United States, both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have been cancelled for driver and staff safety.

The Grand Prix has received criticism from Amnesty International on the grounds of human rights in Saudi Arabia, which is a totalitarian state. 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 One responded by saying that "Formula One 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 One 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 Lewis Hamilton to boycott the Grand Prix, citing among other factors Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemeni Civil War and the assassination of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia has denied the Grand Prix was being used for sportswashing, arguing that the race forms part of the country's efforts to open itself up to the outside world. The event received criticism from human rights groups. Many accused the Arab nation and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of "sportswashing" their image. It was claimed that Saudi Arabia was stepping into some of the biggest sport events to cover its human rights violations.