Jeddah Corniche

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the fastest street track in Formula 1, with an average lap speed higher than several permanent racing venues. Its 27 corners are almost all high-speed sweepers, and the walls sit close enough that passing requires commitment far beyond what a conventional street circuit demands. Designed by Tilke and Carsten Tilke, the layout was built in under a year in preparation for its 2021 debut.

The race runs at night along the Red Sea Corniche, with the Jeddah skyline lit behind the grandstands. The combination of long, fast sections and short straights means pit wall calls on safety cars and virtual safety cars have repeatedly decided the outcome of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural 2021 race — a chaotic event with multiple red flags, restarts and a title-decisive moment involving Max Verstappen. A future purpose-built circuit at Qiddiya, near Riyadh, is expected to replace Jeddah on the calendar later in the decade, but until then the Corniche remains one of the sport's most intense weekends.