President of Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal launched on Monday the countdown for the Kingdom’s hosting of its first ever Formula One race.
The landmark event will be held in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on December 3 – 5.
The countdown clock was unveiled at the Jeddah corniche in the presence of numerous officials and representatives.
The Rolex clock, an icon of Formula One, showed that only 300 days remain for the historic race to be held. The clock is seven meters high and 16 meters wide and will remain at the corniche until the race is staged.
Prince Khalid said that the unveiling of the clock marks the beginning of official preparations for the global event, which the Kingdom views as part of its aspirations of Vision 2030.
He thanked the Kingdom’s leadership for supporting the hosting of the race and other sports events.
Details of the racetrack have yet to be revealed.
Saudi Arabia has become increasingly prominent on the motorsports scene, hosting the Dakar Rally in January while two races of the all-electric Formula E series are scheduled for Diriyah in February.
A new Extreme E off-road electric series is due to race in AlUla in March while tennis, boxing and golf have held high-profile events in the Kingdom.
State-owned energy giant Saudi Aramco is a global partner of Formula One and Saudi companies have sponsored teams.
