Excitement is brewing amongst F1 drivers as the audacious plans for the new Qiddiya circuit in Saudi Arabia take shape, with McLaren’s Lando Norris expressing his excitement with the future venue’s “crazy” design.
Revealed earlier this week, the Speed Park Track in Qiddiyah City features several groundbreaking concepts that push the boundaries of circuit architecture.
One particularly eye-catching element is ‘The Blade’, a first corner towering 20 stories high – a staggering 108 meters – and dramatically swooping over a music venue below.
This groundbreaking concept, along with others, is the product of a collaborative effort involving F1’s resident circuit architect Hermann Tilke and the design efforts of former F1 driver Alex Wurz, who also happens to be the president of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association)?
Commenting on the revealed plans, Norris heaped praise on Saudi Arabia and the track’s designers, commending the project team for pushing the boundaries and creating an exciting racing venue for both drivers and fans.
“I've seen the video and the preview, and it looks pretty crazy,” commented the McLaren driver.
“It's what Saudi do, so full respect to them for coming up with some crazy things and trying to make it as cool as what it looks.
“You have a lot of places which are nowhere near as lively and as fun. So, if you want people to be attracted to the sport in general, you don't want it just to be a track in the middle of nowhere that no one goes to.”
Norris suggested that the venue’s blend of racing and entertainment would be one of its strongest features.
“You want things that happen in the evening and during the afternoons with shows,” he said. “You want it to be a big event, not just certain race times that we're on track and then everyone goes home and is bored.
“So yeah, compliments to them for coming up with crazy stuff, because I think it's certainly a good thing for everyone.”
Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas was equally enthusiastic and excited by Qiddiyah’s mindboggling project.
“What I've seen looks pretty cool, like it's a massive roller coaster,” he said. “I think it's the track actually with the most elevation by far on the calendar. So, yeah, looks exciting.
“Obviously, we still have to wait for quite a few years, but there's been definitely good people behind the project in terms of the track design and all that. It looks almost like a video game, but for real life.”
Formula 1 will need to wait until 2027 at the earliest before racing at Qiddiyah.
In 2021, Saudi Arabia signed a 10-year deal with Formula 1 to host its showcase event, a contract were a reputed $55 million a year, the joint-highest fee paid by any venue to stage a Grand Prix.
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