Carey: "We will publish the provisional calendar in the coming weeks"

On Thursday, Formula 1 announced that a race will be held in Saudi Arabia from 2021 onwards. It will be a night race in Jeddah and will be on the calendar for the coming years. Liberty Media will most likely publish a calendar with 23 races and Carey explains that he is happy with the addition of Saudi Arabia.

"We are delighted to add Saudi Arabia to the 2021 calendar. It is a country that is rapidly becoming an important point for sports and events, as many major events have been organised here in recent years, which is why we are also delighted that Formula 1 will be racing here from next year", Chase Carey explains to Formula1.com. 

Full calendar coming soon

"The region is hugely important to us, because 70% of the population is under 30 years of age and that is the target group we want to reach," says Carey. In Saudi Arabia they are also pleased with the announcement, says Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal, President of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. "I believe that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix could be one of the greatest sporting events in the country's history.

"We don't have a rich motorsport history, but in the short time that we have as a federation we have built up a tremendous reputation with international events such as Formula E and the Dakar. That is why there are millions of young fans of motorsport in this country. Many of them are already counting down to November 2021". Carey himself expects that the full calendar, with Saudi Arabia, will be announced soon. "We will publish the provisional calendar in the coming weeks and send it to the World Sport Council for approval," concludes Carey.