Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia and it was home to the first Saudi Arabian F1 GP in December 2021. That was my first visit to the rather mysterious kingdom and I was surprised and delighted with the warm welcome at the airport. Around the city I found the people to be warm, hospitable and interested in the whole spectacle of F1.

The city is relatively low-rise with a population just shy of 3 million. The infrastructure at the track can be dismantled as the race will be moved to the Saudi capital, Riyadh at some point in the future.

A word about the traffic though. It’s heavy and often chaotic and you’ll probably notice the lack of traffic lights. Instead of stopping, you’ll be doing plenty of u-turns.

Accommodation here is very expensive. I’ve stayed at the rather tired Intercontinental Hotel which is on the foreshore but a 40-minute drive from the track. I much prefer the Hyatt House which is in a non-descript area but has larger apartment style rooms AND a free laundry with washing machines, dryers and even a professional iron.

The hotel to stay at though is the Shangri-La which is brand new. It sits just 100metres from one end of the track and will be the the place to be seen come F1 week.

Restaurant-wise I can highly recommend Myazu; stunning décor, great atmosphere, cool music and delicious Japanese food. It’s a 20 minute drive from the track and I rate it as one of the best restaurants I ate in 2021.