Jeddah's Grand Prix and the Kabsa Pot

Saudi Arabia has hosted five Grands Prix in Jeddah since 2021, and its regional kitchens turn wheat, dates, rice and meat into dishes of hospitality.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix joined the World Championship in 2021 and was held every year through 2025, five times in all, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Its winners read like a roll call of the era: Lewis Hamilton won the first race, Max Verstappen won in 2022 and 2024, Sergio Pérez in 2023 and Oscar Piastri in 2025. The 2026 edition is listed as cancelled in our season data. No Saudi driver appears in our records.

Saudi Arabian cooking is as varied as the land, with distinct traditions in the central, eastern, southern and western regions, and the country's place on old trade routes brought in flavors from outside. Most staples are local: dates and wheat, meat and fish, vegetables, and ghee. Many dishes are bound to customs and gatherings, from weddings and religious festivals to the Hajj, and pork and alcohol are forbidden under Islamic law.

Hospitality runs through every meal. Guests are offered dates and Arabic coffee, traditionally roasted and ground in front of them and spiced with cardamom, so the welcome arrives with its own aroma. During Ramadan the fast is broken with dates, water and coffee. In 2024 the Saudi Culinary Commission named signature dishes for each of the country's 13 regions, giving every corner of the kingdom its own entry on the national menu.

The best known dish is kabsa, rice cooked with meat or chicken, vegetables and a warm blend of spices that includes cardamom, saffron, cinnamon and dried lemon. In 2023 jareesh, crushed wheat cooked with yogurt and meat, was named a national dish. Around Jeddah, in the west, look for saleeg, rice cooked in broth with milk, and mutabbaq, a thin fried bread stuffed with minced meat, egg and leeks, with green chili and lemon on the side.

A taste of Saudi Arabia

• Kabsa dajaj, Spiced chicken and rice with dried lime
• Jareesh, Creamy crushed wheat with chicken and yogurt
• Balila, Warm chickpeas with cumin, lemon and pickles
• Mutabbaq, Stuffed folded pan bread with beef
• Ma'soub, Mashed flatbread and banana with honey
• Saleeg, Creamy rice cooked in broth and milk
• Gahwa, Saudi cardamom coffee
• Sobia, Chilled spiced bread and oat drink
• Kleija, Date and cardamom filled whole wheat cookies

Circuits

• Jeddah Corniche Circuit

Drivers