Saudi Arabia wants two F1 races on its soil, while replacement for Russian GP yet to be decided

Saudi Arabia is reportedly pushing for a second Grand Prix on its soil at the end of the calendar to be hosted at a different circuit, according to veteran F1 journalist Joe Saward. In his most recent blog post, Saward wrote:

“I did hear whispers that Saudi Arabia would like to throw its financial weight around a bit more and thinks that a Grand Prix at each end of the season would be a good thing: with one race in the spring in Jeddah and the other in the autumn up in Riyadh.”

Saudi Arabia reportedly wants a similar deal to that of the United States and Italy, both of which have multiple races scheduled on their soil. In the case of the US, three races have been announced, while a fourth is thought to be in the works.

The Middle Eastern country joined the sport's calendar for the first time last season and most recently hosted a race just last month. The recent race at the Jeddah Corniche circuit was marred by controversy and safety concerns following attacks by Houthi rebels on Saudi Aramco facilities near the track.

Many drivers and team members had expressed frustration with the promoters and the Saudi Arabian government’s handling of the situation and demanded for the race to be canceled. In response, the government reportedly threatened to keep drivers against their will in the country if they chose not to participate in the event.

According to Saward, the sport’s bosses will most likely agree to the country’s demands for a second race. He wrote:

“The F1 group may not like the idea much as there are sufficient Middle Eastern races now and there are other priorities, but the Saudis do have an awful [lot] of money and, as the old song goes, this is what makes the world go around.”

Despite the controversies, Saudi Arabia has remained on the calendar for the foreseeable future, with Saudi Aramco as one of the biggest sponsors of the sport.

---

Singapore in contention to replace canceled Russian F1 GP

To fill the void created by the cancelation of the Russian Grand Prix on this season’s calendar, F1 is reportedly considering holding two consecutive races in Singapore after Qatar backed away. On his blog, Joe Saward wrote:

“The calendar chat at the moment is largely related to which event will replace Russia in September and my understanding is that it will either be a second race in Singapore, or it will be nothing at all, as Qatar seems to have dropped from the equation. Still the Qatar race will be back in 2023.”

The 2022 edition of the race in Sochi was canceled following the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier last month, and a replacement for the event is yet to be announced.