Saudi Arabia's oil riches have rocked soccer, golf, even esports, and the autocratic kingdom is expanding in Formula One car racing. What's behind the push?
To understand the scope of Saudi Arabia's ambitions in the sporting landscape, don't look just to this spring's Formula One race in Jeddah — which ended with a predictable one-two win for the Red Bull team. The revealing action was at the after-party. Amid a bloom of fireworks over Jeddah's coast, dozens of drones buzzed in synchronicity to spell out the kingdom's goal: 'Saudi Arabia. Home of Sporting Events.' It's a vision that increasingly seems within reach.
Both of the teens were enrolled in 'F1 in Schools,' an Aramco-sponsored program that has students establishing and managing their own racing team as part of STEM and other lessons. Ibaa had taken on the role of head engineer for her team, while Sireen was doing marketing. 'Ours is called Fennec,' she said. 'It's a desert fox that lives in Saudi Arabia.' : : Not everyone is convinced that the region's plans to build up its racing bonafides are a good thing.
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