Jeddah Corniche Circuit

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit^[3] (Arabic: حلبة كورنيش جدة) is a 6.174 km (3.836 mi) motor racing street circuit built in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. The circuit staged the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021 as the penultimate race on the 2021 Formula One season calendar.^[4][5]

Jeddah Corniche Circuit

Grand Prix Circuit (2021–present)
Location	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Time zone	UTC+03:00 (AST)
Coordinates	21°37′55″N 39°6′16″E
Capacity	50,000[1]
FIA Grade	1 (Grand Prix) 2 (Short)
Broke ground	March 2021; 3 years ago (2021-03)
Opened	3 December 2021; 2 years ago (2021-12-03)
Architect	Carsten Tilke[2]
Major events	Current: Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (2021–present) GT World Challenge Europe 6 Hours of Jeddah (2024) Future: Formula E Jeddah ePrix (2025) FR Middle East (2025) Former: WTCR Race of Saudi Arabia (2022)
Grand Prix Circuit (2021–present)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	6.174 km (3.836 miles)
Turns	27
Race lap record	1:30.734 ( Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, 2021, F1)
Short Circuit (2022–present)
Length	3.450 km (2.144 miles)
Turns	12
Race lap record	1:16.986 ( Gilles Magnus, Audi RS 3 LMS TCR, 2022, TCR)

History

Identified as the fastest street circuit in Formula One,^[6] the track is the third-longest track on the Formula One calendar, with Spa-Francorchamps and Las Vegas Strip Circuit being longer.^[7] The track has three consecutive DRS zones.^[8]

The circuit is located on the Jeddah Corniche adjoining the Red Sea.^[9] The circuit was designed by Carsten Tilke, son of the famed circuit designer, Hermann Tilke.^[10]

In November 2022, Jeddah hosted the season finale of 2022 World Touring Car Cup. Instead of the Grand Prix layout, a shorter 3.450 km (2.144 mi) layout was configured for that race.^[11]

Events

Current

• March: Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, FIA Formula 2 Championship, F1 Academy, Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East, F4 Saudi Arabian Championship
• April: F4 Saudi Arabian Championship
• November: GT World Challenge Europe 6 Hours of Jeddah, GT4 European Series

Future

• F4 Middle East Championship (2025)
• Ferrari Challenge Winter Challenge (2025)
• Formula E
  • Jeddah ePrix (2025)
• Formula Regional Middle East Championship (2025)

Former

• World Touring Car Cup
  • FIA WTCR Race of Saudi Arabia (2022)

Lap records

As of March 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit are listed as:

Category	Time	Driver	Vehicle	Event
Grand Prix Circuit: 6.174 km (2021–present)
Formula One	1:30.734[12]	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG W12 E Performance	2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
FIA F2	1:43.098[13]	Jack Doohan	Dallara F2 2018	2022 Jeddah Formula 2 round
Porsche Carrera Cup	2:03.645[14]	Bandar Alesayi	Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup[15]	2022 Jeddah Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East round
Formula 4	2:04.259[16]	Doriane Pin	Tatuus F4-T421	2024 Jeddah F1 Academy round
GT4	2:09.820[17]	Freddy Fast	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport[15]	2022 Jeddah Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East round
Short Circuit: 3.450 km (2022)
TCR Touring Car	1:16.986[18]	Gilles Magnus	Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2021)	2022 WTCR Race of Saudi Arabia

References

1. Scott, Katie (March 2024). "Yacht Charter Event - Saudi Arabia Grand Prix 2024". Arab News. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
2. "F1 Jeddah Corniche Circuit designer Tilke unveils new details 100 days ahead of Saudi Grand Prix". Arab News. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
3. "Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Showcases Jeddah Corniche Circuit to Media". Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 25 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
4. Bashraheel, Aseel (29 October 2020). "Racing in the streets: Jeddah to host first Saudi F1 Grand Prix". Arab News. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
5. "F1 schedule 2021: Formula 1 announces provisional 23-race calendar for 2021". Formula1.com. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
6. "Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024". Formula 1.com. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
7. "Fastest ever F1 street circuit revealed for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah". Formula1.com. 18 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
8. "Jeddah track guide". www.mclaren.com. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
9. "F1 adds Saudi Arabian Grand Prix night race to 2021 calendar". Formula1.com. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
10. Wilde, Jon (27 August 2021). "Jeddah to be 'one of the world's best circuits'". PlanetF1. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
11. "WTCR All Set For A Middle Eastern Adventure As 2022 Calendar Is Completed". FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup. 1 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
12. "Jeddah Corniche Circuit". Formula1.com. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
13. "2022 Jeddah FIA Formula 2 Race 2 Statistics". Motorsportstats. 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
14. "2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East Jeddah Race 1 Final Classification" (PDF). Retrieved 30 March 2022.
15. "PSCME Porsche Racecars". Retrieved 9 December 2021.
16. "2024 F1 Academy Jeddah Race 2 Results". 9 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
17. "2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge Middle East Jeddah Race 2 Final Classification" (PDF). Retrieved 30 March 2022.
18. "WTCR 2022 » Jeddah Corniche Circuit Round 18 Results". TouringCars.Net. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.