Formula 1 Bahrain GP
Saudi Arabia on buying an F1 team: "Why not?"
With F1 returning to Saudi Arabia this weekend, could the nation be set for an ever-greater presence in the series in seasons to come?
Mark Mann-Bryans
Edited: Apr 15, 2025, 11:36 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Saudi Arabian flag
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Saudi Arabia would be open to buying a Formula 1 team as Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal admitted it is something he would like to see in the future.
The country has invested heavily in motorsports partnerships in recent years with Aramco and Maaden both sponsors of the Aston Martin F1 team and the Public Investment Fund working with Formula E.
Read Also:
This weekend sees F1 return to Jeddah, where there will also be no doubt plenty of talk over the track currently under construction in the new city of Qiddiya, which is expected to take over running of Saudi Arabia’s F1 race once operational.
But now the very real prospect of a Saudi-owned team could see the nation move even deeper into investing in F1, with Prince Khalid keen on the idea in principle – even if he concedes it could be a “difficult” step.
“I mean, there is a space available,” he replied when the notion of a Saudi – or PIF-led – squad was put to him on a recent call with reporters, including Motorsport.com.
“There are only 11 out of 12 and also potentially one or two teams that might be for sale in the future. I mean, it could happen.
Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF)
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
“If you see the growth, first of all. If you're going to buy a Formula 1 team, then people will buy it to make money out of it, especially if it's going to be bought by one of the PIF companies.
“So we see there is a lot of Formula 1 now reaching new markets, the sales are globally increasing, and we saw the partnership with Aramco and Aston Martin.
“All directions say that maybe soon Saudi can, if they see if it's feasible, if it makes sense, then why not? I mean, nobody dislikes making money. So if you can make money out of Formula 1 - I think it's very tricky. You need to know exactly which team to buy and who to partner with and who will manage this.
“The decision is very difficult. It's not easy to say which team to buy and how you're going to manage it. But we have a lot of interest; we're hosting Formula 1, sponsoring teams. So I wouldn't be surprised if we see an announcement for a Saudi team and personally, I would like to see a Saudi team.
“But if I'm in Saudi Arabia or one of the Saudi companies will be involved in one of the teams, I would like them, I mean, to do it the right way and be successful. So it's a tricky question, but why not?”
Prince Khalid also spoke about Saudi Arabia’s position on the F1 calendar, having hosted the second race last year following on from the season-opener in Bahrain. The two grands prix were moved to the third and fourth spots this time around so as not to clash with Ramadan.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, the rest of the field at the start
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The 2026 calendar has yet to be signed off and made public, but Saudi would be keen to eventually become the first round of the championship, bringing greater exposure and esteem to the race.
“This is something that we would like to have,” said Prince Khalid.
“But I know that Formula 1, they have commitments. For them, maybe sometimes it's easier for Bahrain to be the opening season because of the testing. So there's a lot of things that you consider. But for us, we would like to have the first race.
“It's the weather. We have a very short gap. Either it's going to be at the end of the season, which some people don't like it to be at the end of. If it's in the middle of the season, it's too hot. So that's why we decided…and we know that Qatar and Abu Dhabi, they are at the end of the season.
“So the only option we have is with Bahrain and for us, we are fine (with that). We like to be at the beginning of the season. Next year, ideally for us, is in the beginning of the season. Maybe race one or race two. That's the ideal situation for us and our weather here.
“Even in terms of sales, for us here in Saudi, the beginning of the season, it's better for us. People are more excited. As I said, domination doesn't help the championship, but hopefully things will change this year and next year.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Sauber unpacks mystery behind Nico Hulkenberg's plank wear disqualification
Next article Five revelations by F1 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Mark Mann-Bryans
F1 driver market – Who is tied down for 2026?
Formula 1
Formula 1 Jul 17, 2025
F1 driver market – Who is tied down for 2026?
What’s next for sacked Red Bull boss Christian Horner?
Formula 1
Formula 1 Jul 10, 2025
What’s next for sacked Red Bull boss Christian Horner?
How Mercedes will help Kimi Antonelli recover from a run of tough F1 results
Formula 1
Formula 1
British GP
Jul 10, 2025
How Mercedes will help Kimi Antonelli recover from a run of tough F1 results
Latest news
The Kimi Antonelli you don't know: Inside the Mercedes garage with F1's new world champion
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
The Kimi Antonelli you don't know: Inside the Mercedes garage with F1's new world champion
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 33 min
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
IndyCar 2026 season review: ECR
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 16 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: ECR
Toto Wolff reflects on Mercedes’ non-title years: ‘We weren’t complete losers’
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
16 h
Toto Wolff reflects on Mercedes’ non-title years: ‘We weren’t complete losers’
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe