Skift Take
It may not have a 336-foot Sphere with U2, but the Qiddiya Speed Track isn't short of ambition.
The Saudi government has released its plans for the "Qiddiya Speed Track," a Formula One-ready course being created at the Qiddiya development. The 21-turn track will go past the Six Flags amusement park and water park, similar to how the Las Vegas course wraps around the mighty Sphere.
The Saudis have employed former Austrian Formula One driver Alex Wurz and the German racetrack designer Hermann Tilke to draft the course plans.
A particularly ambitious segment of the track is called "The Blade" - a 20-story-high ramp that goes up and over a music arena.
In 2020, Formula One inked a decade-long deal with Saudi Arabia to stage a race in the nation starting from 2021. The agreement, valued at $55 million annually for the sport, came on the heels of a separate 10-year sponsorship pact with Saudi Arabia's state-run oil giant, Aramco, totaling more than $450 million.
There is already a city race in Jeddah, as well as electric r