Revolutionary Saudi F1 Venue Stuns with Sky-High 'Blade' Track
Mar.7 - Three leading F1 faces have hailed the revolutionary venue that is slated to host the Saudi Arabian GP in the future.
The fast and popular current street track in Jeddah was always designed to be temporary, with the country inking a deal with Formula 1 through 2030.
The plan, now revealed in spectacular renders, shows a futuristic venue in Qiddiya - an entertainment and tourism megaproject near Riyadh that is still under construction.
One aspect of the new F1 track is 'The Blade', penned in part by former driver and now circuit designer Alex Wurz, which peaks at an astonishing 108 metres above the rest of the track.
"Very proud to be part of this journey," the Austrian said on X.
The world's fastest rollercoaster will flank the main straight, with F1 spectators to watch the track action not from grandstands but elevated platforms.
"What I've seen looks pretty cool," agrees Valtteri Bottas. "It's a massive rollercoaster. I think it's the track actually with the most elevation by far on the calendar.
"Obviously we still have to wait for quite a few years," the Finnish driver noted, "but there's definitely good people behind the project in terms of the track design.
"It looks almost like a video game but for real life."
Fernando Alonso, who drives for Aston Martin with key sponsorship by the Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco, hailed the project as "one of the most impressive facilities for motorsports worldwide".
"High-speed thrills, incredible elevation, immersive attractions and experiences that will excite the fans like never before," he wrote on Instagram.
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I'm looking forward to seeing how the Qiddiya circuit will look in real life when it eventually debuts in 2028 based on the most recent timescale estimation.
However, I reckon Jeddah will remain alongside beyond 2027 rather than get replaced.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit isn't a street circuit per se, though, as it isn't used by regular traffic, but rather a semi-permanent temporary circuit.
Could it be style over substance I wonder, lets face it , the Arabs could afford to build an F1 track on the moon, the safe, and I use that term loosely more established tracks dont stand a chance when theres an open cheque book, -- Budget caps mean nothing when it comes to Building new tracks, I wonder again how many thousand temporary migrant workers will be imported and treated badly and working on a very poor wage just to help the Arabs do more sports washing.
It appears that the ultra-rich all play by a separate set of rules. Unfortunately, money = power. They quite literally get away with murder.
The new circuit, like so much of the outward show in Saudi, will be yet another ode to wretched excess.
Don’t worry, your mate Sir Lewis will be on it! You’re clearly both singing from the same hymn book. Well done for raising awareness. Is this what you were looking for🖕🏽.
All together now
Workers lives matter...
Unsure if it's strange or fitting to call it The Blade.
Also being built near the track is a New Justice Centre, well.......... thats what they are calling it anyway
Perhaps they intertwine