Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2023 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2023 Formula 1 Team/Driver Line-Up
    • 2023 Formula 1 Driver Penalty Points
    • 2022 Session Results
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2022/23 Formula E Standings
    • 2022/23 Formula E Calendar
    • 2022/23 Formula E Team/Driver Line-up
  • IndyCar
    • 2023 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2023 IndyCar Driver Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WRC
    • 2023 WRC Calendar
    • 2023 WRC Standings
    • 2023 WRC Driver Line-up
  • MotoGP
    • 2023 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2023 MotoGP Team/Rider Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WEC
    • 2023 WEC Calendar
    • 2023 WEC Hypercar Team/Driver Line-up
  • More
    • IMSA
      • 2023 IMSA GTP Team/Driver Line-up
      • 2023 IMSA Calendar
    • Formula 2
      • 2023 Formula 2 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 2 Driver Line-up
    • Formula 3
      • 2023 Formula 3 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 3 Driver Line-up
    • DTM
    • WSeries
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
LIVE
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2023 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2023 Formula 1 Team/Driver Line-Up
    • 2023 Formula 1 Driver Penalty Points
    • 2022 Session Results
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2022/23 Formula E Standings
    • 2022/23 Formula E Calendar
    • 2022/23 Formula E Team/Driver Line-up
  • IndyCar
    • 2023 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2023 IndyCar Driver Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WRC
    • 2023 WRC Calendar
    • 2023 WRC Standings
    • 2023 WRC Driver Line-up
  • MotoGP
    • 2023 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2023 MotoGP Team/Rider Line-Up
    • 2022 Championship Standings
  • WEC
    • 2023 WEC Calendar
    • 2023 WEC Hypercar Team/Driver Line-up
  • More
    • IMSA
      • 2023 IMSA GTP Team/Driver Line-up
      • 2023 IMSA Calendar
    • Formula 2
      • 2023 Formula 2 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 2 Driver Line-up
    • Formula 3
      • 2023 Formula 3 Race Calendar
      • 2023 Formula 3 Driver Line-up
    • DTM
    • WSeries
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

Saudi Arabian GP chief dismisses Middle East F1 saturation fears

by Taylor Powling
4 days ago
A A
0
Saudi Arabian GP chief dismisses Middle East F1 saturation fears
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix managing director Martin Whitaker has dismissed claims that the recent increase in Formula 1 races held in the Middle East could lead to saturation.

Bahrain broke new ground when it became the first-ever Middle Eastern country to host an F1 race in 2004, with its success and ever-present status since prompting the introduction of further races in Abu Dhabi (2009) and Saudi Arabia (2021).

With Qatar also opening its door to the sport during the closing stages of that 2021 season and penning a long-term agreement to be on the calendar from 2023 onwards, there will be a quartet of races in the region from this season and beyond.

As a further sign of the region’s growing influence on F1, Abu Dhabi continues to pay a premium fee to host the opening final round of the World Championship, while Bahrain joined their Middle Eastern counterparts two years ago by taking on the rights to be the traditional curtain-raiser for the season.

RelatedPosts

FIA defends president after sexist comments emerge

FIA defends president after sexist comments emerge

6 hours ago
Ex-F1 racer Mazepin to make return in Asian Le Mans

Ex-F1 racer Mazepin to make return in Asian Le Mans

8 hours ago

Nevertheless, Whitaker believes the changing landscape over the past decade has been a positively constructive one and favourable to the region’s attempts to expand its involvement in motorsport.

“You only have to look at either automobile franchises or global consumer brands and they all tend to congregate in the same area on the high street,” Whitaker said.

“Yes, there is competition between them, but they are stronger together than they would be if they were all disparate. The analogy with F1 races is the same.

“Saudi Arabia is part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and it’s beneficial for all of us in the region to have Formula 1 races as it increases awareness and helps develop the sport.”

Whitaker also contends the number of races that have propped up across the Middle East in recent times provides no geographical problem by pointing to the multitude of events that have been held within close proximity in Europe for several years longer.

“Actually, while it might seem close, the distance between Bahrain and Jeddah is about 1,500km, which compares with the distance between Silverstone and Budapest,” he said.

“And there are a lot of races that are held between these two European venues.

“So, the location of the races in the Middle East are not as close as you think.”

Tags: F1SaudiArabianGPWhitaker
Share256Tweet160Share64

Related Posts

FIA defends president after sexist comments emerge
Formula 1

FIA defends president after sexist comments emerge

6 hours ago
Ex-F1 racer Mazepin to make return in Asian Le Mans
Formula 1

Ex-F1 racer Mazepin to make return in Asian Le Mans

8 hours ago
Wehrlein carves through the field to take Diriyah E-Prix win
Formula E

Wehrlein carves through the field to take Diriyah E-Prix win

9 hours ago
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Articles

Two Sky Sports F1 pundits dropped ahead of 2023 season
Formula 1

Two Sky Sports F1 pundits dropped ahead of 2023 season

January 25, 2023
Wolff: I live in Horner’s head rent-free
Formula 1

Wolff: I live in Horner’s head rent-free

January 22, 2023

2023 F1 Car Launches

TeamCar NameDate
HaasVF-2331 January*
Red BullRB1903 February
WilliamsFW4506 February*
Alfa RomeoC4307 February
AlphaTauriAT0411 February
Aston MartinAMR2313 February
McLarenTBA13 February
FerrariTBA14 February
MercedesW1415 February
AlpineA52316 February
*Livery reveal

Upcoming Races

#EventLocationDate
-Pre-Season TestingSakhir 23-25 February
1Bahrain GPSakhir05 March
2Saudi Arabian GPJeddah19 March
3Australian GPMelbourne02 April
4Azerbaijan GPBaku30 April

Click here for the full 2023 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Esteban Ocon
Pierre Gasly
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Follow Motorsport Week

Motorsport Week

© 2023 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • Standings
    • 2023 F1 Calendar
    • Team/Driver Line-Up
    • Session Results
    • Driver Penalty Points
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2022/23 Formula E Standings
    • 2022/23 Formula E Calendar
    • Session Results
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • Standings
    • Calendar
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • Standings
    • Calendar
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • Calendar
    • Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • WSeries
    • DTM
    • IMSA
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
X