JEDDAH: The much-awaited Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race weekend kicked off at Jeddah Corniche circuit on Friday with spectacular fanfare, as thousands of racing enthusiasts flocked to the fan zones.
Thousands of spectators watched the first free practice session of the Formula One drivers in action on the track, and enjoyed the fan village entertainment.
Inside the village, F1 enthusiasts have access to several food courts, with a giant screen installed by the main entrance.
To complement the fast-paced excitement, guests were given the chance to take part in a range of interactive activities, including the huge global wheel, zipline, free fall, donut jump, color net, and climbing challenge.
F1 merchandise outlets were one of the main attractions on the first day as spectators rushed to purchase racing memorabilia for their favorite teams.
To test and compare their reaction speeds with those of F1 drivers, all attendees were also invited to take part a virtual reality challenge.
“We are not lucky enough to get to Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the best F1 drivers in the world, but we are having the best experience in the circuit village,” said Naser Al-Alawai, who came from Makkah to watch the Grand Prix and entertain his children.
He said the arrangements were beyond his expectation, adding: “We had no problem getting into the venue and everything went smooth since we parked our car far away.”
Gabi Fakher from Lebanon, who was standing watching his two kids enjoying the various games in the fan zone, told Arab News that the organization had improved. “I attended the first race held in Jeddah three months ago and the event was not perfect, but we knew then (that was) because it was held here for the first time. This year, it is amazing and I can see the difference. It is improving and beautifully arranged since we arrived at the parking.”
Music lovers will also get to enjoy great performances on Saturday at the race side, with Swedish DJ Axwell, American rapper Wiz Khalifa, Dutch DJ and producer R3HAB, British band Clean Bandit, and Egyptian megastar Mohamed Ramadan all set to perform.
