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F1 in Saudi Arabia: Blind corners and walls at over 200 mph
news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica • 21 April 2025 • 1 minute
The Formula 1 race in Saudi Arabia last night was the fifth race in six weeks. The latest venue is a temporary street circuit of a breed with Las Vegas. It's a nighttime race set against a backdrop of bright-colored lights and sponsor-clad concrete walls lining the track. Except in Jeddah, many of the corners are blind, and most are very fast. As at Suzuka , qualifying was very important here, with just a few milliseconds making the difference.
Although it's far from the only autocratic petrostate on the F1 calendar, some people remain uncomfortable with F1 racing in Saudi Arabia, given that country's record of human rights abuses. I've not been, nor do I have any plans to attend a race there, but I had my eyes opened to a broader perspective by a couple of very thoughtful pieces written by motorsport journalist and sometime Ars contributor Hazel Southwell, who has attended several races in the kingdom, including as an independent journalist. Feel free to blast the sport in the comments, but do give Hazel's pieces a read .
Fireworks, drones, lasers, floodlights, LEDs... you'd think this was compensating for something.
Credit:
Clive Mason/Getty Images
Red Bull really doesn’t want next year’s engine rules
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