There are currently 4 F1 races held in the Middle East countries, which are crucial parts of the Formula 1 world championship, in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. All of them have joined the calendar in the XXIst century and delivered some great racing, as well as a couple of title deciders. In 2025, the same 4 races will be part of the calendar. Bahrain and Saudi towards the beginning of the season, and Qatar with the United Arab Emirates will hold the last 2 races of the season.
F1 Races in the Middle East in 2025
According to the F1 calendar for 2025, there will be 4 races in the Middle East in 2025:
- Round 4 – Bahrain Grand Prix – 11-13 April 2025
- Round 5 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – 18-20 April 2025
- Round 23 – Qatar Grand Prix – 28-30 November 2025
- Round 24 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – 5-7 December 2025
1. Bahrain Grand Prix
Bahrain Grand Prix has been the first ever F1 race in the Middle East. Over 20 years ago, drivers and teams came to a desolated track in the middle of the desert, and although it always seemed to lack the atmosphere, the racing there has always been phenomenal, and the track is one of fans’ favourite from the whole season.
Although The Sakhir circuit doesn’t have almost any elevation changes, the track has slows corners that catch drivers off guard, especially the sharp turn 7. On the other hand, at the end of 1st sector, there are some fast speed turns where going wheel to wheel is extremely dangerous.
Bahrain Grand Prix for the last couple of years has been the home of F1 winter testing, and since 2014, the Sakhir circuit has become home to one of the night races on the F1 calendar, marking the first night race in Bahrain to celebrate the 10th anniversary of F1 coming to the Middle East. Held at night, the Bahrain Grand Prix offers a unique atmosphere under the floodlights, enhancing the experience for both drivers and spectators.
2. Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been the most recent addition to the F1 calendar in the Middle East. The first race took part in 2021, and it was the penultimate round of the Championship. It delivered one of the best duels between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton throughout the whole year, and although the organization of the race in a country in the active war has been highly criticized by the community, the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix delivered an absolute show.
The Corniche Circuit is a tight and extremely fast temporary street circuit, where the smallest mistake may cause a wrecked car and a red flag. This race circuit blends some permanent sections within a 6.174 km track located along the coast of Jeddah, making it a unique and thrilling addition to the Formula 1 calendar. However, in 2021 there was one different problem, which wasn’t detected before. The track was open in very last minute before the Grand Prix, and the DRS zones haven’t been properly checked. As a result, drivers would rather slow down before the DRS detection point, and give up the position before the start/finish straight, in order to have the DRS to their favour, and quickly retake the position before the turn 1.
This led to bizarre situations, where drivers breaked way ahead of the braking point, to let others by. Also, it saw one of the weirdest clashes between Hamilton and Verstappen. Max left the track and gained an advantage earlier on a lap, and wanted to slow down, to let Hamilton through in order to avoid the penalty. But Lewis didn’t wan’t to overtake Max, and give him the DRS, so both drivers slowed down significantly.
Lewis Hamilton didn’t want to overtake Max, and when the Dutch driver slowed even more, Lewis drove into the back of Max’s Red Bull with his front wing, and damaged it. Max has been found guilty of this collision, and received a harsh penalty, ultimately finishing 2nd in the Grand Prix.
3. Qatar Grand Prix
The Qatar Grand Prix was also introduced to the F1 calendar in 2021, just one race before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It was the first ever F1 race held in Qatar, and yet another F1 race in the Middle East. Unlike classic street circuits with their sharp 90-degree turns, the Qatar track is designed for higher speeds and more overtaking opportunities, providing a more exhilarating race experience. The first race delivered plenty of drama, as many drivers encountered problems with their tyres which started puncturing. First they gave up on Saturday for Pierre Gasly during qualifying, and on the next day, in the race they gave up in the Mercedes of Bottas, then it was George Russell and Nicolas Latifi who had punctures.
In 2022, the Grand Prix didn’t take place, as Qatar was hosting the World Cup, and in 2023 the race came back in style. After a dominant drive in the Sprint Race, Oscar Piastri took his first win in the rookie season, and P2 was enough for Max Verstappen to secure the World Drivers Championship for the 2nd consecutive year.
The Qatar Grand Prix delivers great racing, and the sprint format seems to fit the track characteristics, so even though the 2024 title has been decided in Las Vegas, the weekend was full of emotions and great racing.
4. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
last race of the season for many years has been the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which joined the calendar in 2009, and delivered numerous amazing finales. Unlike old classic street circuits known for their challenging 90-degree turns, the Yas Marina Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke features faster, sweeping corners that enhance the excitement and challenge for drivers. In 2010, Sebastian Vettel took his first Championship thanks to a victory over Fernando Alonso, who got stuck in the traffic behind Vitaly Petrov.
11 years later, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix gave us one of the biggest thrillers of Formula 1. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were level on points before the last race of the season. Max took the Pole Position, but from the very first lap it was Lewis who had a better pace and overtook him. After 50+ laps of racing, Nicolas Latifi crashed his Williams in the 3rd sector, and the Safety Car has been deployed.
Mercedes decided to keep the track position and stay out on used hards, while Max having nothing to lose, opted for a pit stop for a fresh set of soft tyres. With just 1 lap of racing, Lewis took off, but was quickly caught by Max, who dived down the inside of Turn 4, and took the lead in the race and the championship. The Dutchman defended like a lion until the end of the lap, and secured his first Championship title.
For all those who missed it, let’s relieve the 2021 finale again. For races like this, we love the Middle East part of the F1 calendar, and the F1blast team cannot wait until the 2025 season finale already.