Formula One have controversially announced it will hold its first ever Formula One race in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
It is understood the ultra-rich Gulf state will pay £50million a year to host the event for at least the next decade as part of a £500million deal.
As Sportsmail revealed, the first race will be staged in 2021 at a road circuit on the Jeddah corniche, which runs alongside the Red Sea, while a bespoke track is built at the 130-square mile ‘entertainment city’ rising in Qiddiya, south-west of the capital Riyadh.
Fomula One have announced they will race in Saudi Arabia for the first time next season, pictured above is the start of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix held at Imola in Italy on Sunday
That new 100,000 facility will then become the permanent home of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, from 2023 or 2024.
Formula One joins other major sports such as football, golf, tennis, cycling, horseracing and boxing in travelling to the kingdom. ‘The Clash of the Dunes’ fight between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jnr last year was perhaps the biggest single event staged there so far.
This cultivation of sport is part of ‘Vision 2030’ — the state’s attempt to branch away from reliance on oil revenues, with Qiddiya a central pillar of that endeavour.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on Lewis Hamilton and his fellow drivers to speak out against the race, which is set to be pencilled in for the final weekend of November.
“Formula One should realise that a Saudi Grand Prix in 2021 would be part of ongoing efforts to sportswash the country’s abysmal human rights record,” the group said in a statement.
The street race in Jeddah will be a night event, such as one held in Singapore (above)
“In the lead-up to a race in Jeddah, we would urge all F1 drivers, owners and teams to consider speaking out about the human rights situation in the country, including by expressing solidarity with jailed human rights defenders.”
In response, a spokesperson for F1 said: “For decades Formula One has worked hard be a positive force everywhere it races, including economic, social, and cultural benefits.
“Sports like Formula One are uniquely positioned to cross borders and cultures to bring countries and communities together to share the passion and excitement of incredible competition and achievement.
“We take our responsibilities very seriously and have 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.”
Not every sports star, though, has accepted the petrodollars on offer, with Rory McIlroy turning down his invitation to compete in the European Tour’s Saudi International last December – reflecting reservations over the country’s human rights record.
Lewis Hamilton and his fellow drivers will race in Saudi Arabia in F1 machinery for the first time
Addressing those concerns, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi sports minister, told Sportsmail: ‘Saudi Arabia has been criticised for being closed off from the world but now we are opening up. We make sure we work to international guidelines. Sport is part of a strategy we have to deliver for the good of the people of the country.
‘Everyone will be welcome to the race. F1 has a big following in the kingdom and this builds on that momentum.
‘We are giving visas for tourism and so on, so we hope people will have a better understanding of Saudi Arabia in the future. Sport has a role to play in our development, getting people active and exposing them to several sports.
According to government figures, the Saudi population is much active than five years ago, with female participation in sport having risen by 149 per cent between 2015 and 2019.
The FIA, the governing body, are a strictly non-political organisation, so take no position on Saudi Arabia’s restrictive culture, just as do not involve themselves in the internal affairs of other host countries.
But Liberty Media, the sport’s owners, welcomed the new Saudi race, which follows Aramco, the state-owned oil giant company, having already concluding a global sponsorship deal with F1 that started this season.
A spokesman for Liberty said: ‘For decades Formula One has worked hard to be a positive force everywhere it races, including bringing economic, social, and cultural benefits. Sports like Formula One are uniquely positioned to cross borders and cultures to bring countries and communities together to share the passion and excitement of incredible competition and achievement.
‘We take our responsibilities very seriously and have made our position on human rights and other issues clear to all our partners and host countries who commit to respect these rights in the way their events are hosted and delivered.’
The rest of next year’s calendar will be announced in the next few weeks.