The STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is not expected to return to the 2026 Formula 1 calendar despite reports of interest and commercial pressure to do so.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit event was cancelled in March alongside the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix following the outbreak of conflict in the region, reducing the championship to 22 races.
Aramco – F1’s global partner and title sponsor of Aston Martin – has been reported as one of those pushing for the race to be restored.
But Sector understands the current position inside F1 is that no plans are in place to expand the calendar beyond its current 22-race count.
The practical obstacles are considerable. No obvious window exists in the current schedule, the summer break period is not viable in Jeddah due to extreme heat, and the regional security situation that prompted the original cancellation remains unresolved.
The race’s absence has coincided with a broader moment of financial reassessment in Saudi Arabia.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund central to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic diversification programme, this week unveiled a new five-year strategy narrowing its focus to six priority areas.
PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan acknowledged the conflict had added financial pressure, telling Al Arabiya that it “would add more pressure to reposition some priorities.”
That language has prompted questions about the kingdom’s appetite for high-profile international sporting investments, with the future of LIV Golf reported to be in danger.
But the picture for F1 specifically is more nuanced. Sport and entertainment is explicitly named as one of the PIF’s six priority ecosystems – a designation that actively supports rather than undermines Saudi Arabia’s ongoing investment in the sport.
Rumayyan was also direct in addressing concerns about the fund’s international exposure, telling the Financial Times: “What I want everyone to understand, we are not scaling back on our international investments.”
Aramco’s F1 partnership operates independently of the PIF’s domestic restructuring. The commercial relationship between Saudi Arabia and F1 remains intact, and the long-term prospects for the Saudi Grand Prix on the calendar are not materially affected by this week’s announcement.
PIF has backed the Qiddiya City project, which includes a new race track, and F1’s 2028 move to the purpose-built facilitiy is also understood not to be under threat.
For 2026, however, the race in Jeddah is not expected to return. The championship resumes at the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
