Saudi Arabia's New F1 Track Will Be the Pinnacle of Racing Luxury
The new Grand Prix track could be completed as early as 2027.
Published April 17 2025, 5:53 p.m. ET
In order to compete with the technology and futuristic boom of the neighboring United Arab Emirates (UAE) crown jewel city of Dubai, Saudi Arabia has been stepping up their tourism and accelerating the country's infrastructure and entertainment industry into the future at breakneck speed.
This is evident in projects such as Qiddiya, designed to be a jaw-dropping and expansive entertainment mecca nestled against the mountains in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Qiddiya, with a goal of boasting districts for entertainment like gaming, eSports, luxury vacations, and more, is also offering a new home for the Formula 1 (F1) Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in the next few years. Here's what we know about the futuristic new track, as well as what to expect from the 2025 Grand Prix.
Saudi Arabia's new F1 track in Qiddiya promises to be something spectacular.
Qiddiya is more than a new resort; it's referred to as a "giga-project" that is designed to be nearly a city-within-a-city, on the outskirts of Riyadh.
The Qiddiya City project page describes it as, "A futuristic city comprising a mix of high-energy entertainment attractions, sports complexes, cultural landmarks and residential neighbourhoods set against one of the region’s most iconic landscapes."
Amongst these attractions is the new Grand Prix track, which could be completed as early as 2027 or as late as 2029.
Per the city's project page, Speed Park Track uses the elevations of the bordering Tuwaiq Mountains and their cliffs, twisting the track up and down the mountainsides and taking drivers and audiences through a veritable rollercoaster of terrain.
The track includes 80 garages, 21 corners, a top speed of over 325km/h (approximately 201mph), and the world’s first cantilevered track section, known as "The Blade." The Blade soars 20 stories above ground level, and is both a structural first for F1 and a fascinating addition to the world of racing.
While it's not quite ready to unveil, the new Speed Park Track promises to be a year-round destination in Qiddiya, possibly far outperforming its F1 roots in tourism value.
Here are the odds for that big 2025 Grand Prix race in Saudi Arabia, while the world waits for the new track to be completed.
Yet before we can enjoy the futuristic track coming in the next few years, the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has the world's attention.
Unsurprisingly, odds for the top three racers to take a win going into this year's race are Oscar Piastri at 2.26; Lando Norris at 2.44; and Max Verstappen at 12.09 per the Formula 1 odds page. Max's uncharacteristically long odds come from his disappointing performance in Bahrain, leaving the champion racer chomping at the bit to take back his crown in Saudi Arabia.
George Russell at 13.43, Charles Leclerc at 17.74, and Lewis Hamilton at 19.82 bring up the next three spots, per F1.
There's a decent enough spread between leader Oscar's odds and sixth-place odds holder Lewis to show that people have some strong expectations going into the race, but it's at least expected to be competitive.
All eyes appear to be on Oscar and Max, but anyone who's sleeping on Lando ahead of the Grand Prix may find themselves surprised at his steady climb to the top. The race takes off April 20, 2025, at 1 p.m. EST.
However the 2025 Grand Prix shakes down, every race in Saudi Arabia is a strong reminder that the future of racing is just around the corner in Qiddiya; and it's going to be fancy.