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First Saudi Woman Driver to Race Car in Saudi Arabia

Reema Juffali, AFP
Reema Juffali, AFP
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First Saudi Woman Driver to Race Car in Saudi Arabia

Reema Juffali, AFP
Reema Juffali, AFP

Reema Juffali made history on Friday by becoming the first Saudi Arabian female racer to drive competitively in the Kingdom.

Juffali, 27, participated in the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy, an all-electric race in Diriyah, close to the capital Riyadh.

"Many (people) are surprised by all the changes happening in Saudi.

"Seeing me in a car, racing, for a lot of people it's a surprise, but I am happy to surprise people," she said.

Juffali, who made one of her first appearances in competitive racing at the F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch in April, has only about a year of professional racing experience under her belt.

But she has had a passion for fast cars since her teenage years and grew up watching Formula One.

On another note, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, witnessed on Friday the second round of ABB FIA Formula E Championship for Electric Cars at Diriyah City.

The event is being organized by the International Automobile Federation and has sparked the start of events of the Diriyah Season Festival, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

On arrival of Prince Muhammad at the race course, in the presence of Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Bahraini Crown Prince, deputy supreme commander and first deputy premier; Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, representative of the King of Bahrain for Philanthropic Work and Youth Affairs, national security adviser, chairman of the Youth and Sports Supreme Council and chairman of the Olympic Committee, the national anthem was played.

The event’s launch was attended by former Italian Prime Minister Mateo Renzi, Sheikh Seif Bin Zayed Al Nahayan, UAE deputy premier and minister of interior; Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Sabah, and Sheikh Fahd Bin Nasser Al-Sabah, chairman of the board of directors of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee; Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Marzouq Bin Ali Al-Ghanim, and several other officials.

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Verstappen Bids for 5th Title and Hamilton’s at Ferrari as F1 Prepares for a Close Fight in 2025 

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during a Formula One pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during a Formula One pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP)
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Verstappen Bids for 5th Title and Hamilton’s at Ferrari as F1 Prepares for a Close Fight in 2025 

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during a Formula One pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during a Formula One pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP)

Lando Norris will have to defy plenty of history to win the Formula 1 title this year.

There's his friend-turned-rival Max Verstappen's bid for a fifth title in a row. Just like the only driver to achieve that feat, Michael Schumacher, Verstappen is a hard racer who isn't afraid to bend the rules — as Norris knows from bitter experience.

Then there's Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion going for a record eighth title in 2025. It's his first season with Ferrari, which is itching to end a wait for a drivers' title going back to 2007.

Norris is the under-pressure favorite Norris is widely considered the favorite after he and McLaren had a strong second half of 2024 — though not strong enough to beat Verstappen — but it could be the closest season in years.

McLaren seemed competitive in preseason testing last month, but Norris has to watch out not only for Verstappen and Hamilton, but also for his own teammate Oscar Piastri, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes' George Russell. Five drivers from four different teams won the last six races of 2024.

"As much as we want to believe we’re the best, I guess we still want to feel like we’re underdogs. We have a lot to fight for," Norris said last month. After slipping up from pole position in a few races last season, Norris insists he can thrive as the driver to beat.

"I know, coming into this season that for a lot of people I'm the favorite and as a team we're the favorites," Norris said. "I’ve always done much better under pressure. I’m able to think and to focus much more."

Verstappen shows he's still hungry

Ever since beating Hamilton to the 2021 title in a race that's still controversial, Verstappen has been F1's man to beat.

He's long been clear he doesn't want to stay in F1 into his 40s like Hamilton or Fernando Alonso, so could motivation be a factor in the Dutch driver's bid for a fifth title? Verstappen says last season — when he tested Norris to the limit and sometimes beyond — shows he's still hungry.

"My motivation is there because I think already last year it was not straightforward," Verstappen said. "We had of course good wins, but I guess not as many as we would have liked, but we still won the championship."

After a year when off-track events threatened to overwhelm Verstappen's Red Bull team and his own father sparred with the management, Verstappen seems more settled at the start of his 11th season in F1. The team feels "like a second family," he said last month.

Hamilton aims for title No. 8

Another title for Hamilton would break a tie with Schumacher for the most in F1 history.

The British driver proclaimed himself "invigorated" at F1's glitzy season launch. Expectations from Ferrari's "Tifosi" fans are so high that he could finally bring success to the Italian team that some cut down a tree to better watch Hamilton test the new SF-25 car.

"I know what a winning team looks and feels like," he said last month. "The passion here is like nothing you’ve ever seen. They’ve got absolutely every ingredient they need to win a world championship. And it’s just about putting all the pieces together."

Other contenders for the crown

Mercedes solved long-running car issues to win four of the last 14 races in 2024, including Hamilton's emotional home win at the British Grand Prix. Three-time winner Russell is joined by 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who starts his career with some valuable advice from Hamilton.

If they can't challenge for the podium right away, other teams like Aston Martin might opt to switch focus early to their 2026 cars. Next year brings a big change in the regulations and getting a head-start could pay off for years to come.