Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (5th December 2022) –The Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC), Promoter of the FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2023, has today used the occasion of International Volunteer Day to celebrate the opportunities for Saudi residents created by the arrival of the pinnacle of motorsport in the Kingdom.
Since the confirmation that Formula 1 had found a new home at in Jeddah, the race promoter has provided opportunities to over 2,000 Volunteers across the two races staged to date. The debut race in 2021 saw 1227 Volunteers join the SMC team in a variety of vital positions, while the 2022 race - staged a mere four months after the first edition – saw 1113 volunteers sourced via a proactive community wide recruitment drive by the promoter.
While the majority of volunteers worked as Marshals, many others also supported in the Marketing, Health, and Safety departments, while others joined in with the many community programmes launched in conjunction with the F1 race weekend, such as the Young Stars karting competition that seeks to find the next generation of Saudi racing talent.
A particularly striking figure is that in 2021, the gender split amongst Volunteers was 26% female and 74% male whilst in 2022, the split was 47% female to 53% male. This indicates not only the inclusive nature of the event but also the way in which the arrival of major global motorsport events is providing opportunities and encouragement for all Saudis, regardless of age or gender, to participate and gain valuable experience from working on the biggest sports and entertainment event to ever be staged in the Kingdom.
For the 2023 race, SMC is planning on substantially increasing the number of Volunteers to be recruited to help deliver the third edition of the world’s fastest street race, with an emphasis on adding support for the Promoter’s best-in-class hospitality department and maintaining the even balance of staffing between men and women. The recruitment drive will begin in the New Year and is open to all Saudi residents over the age of 18. Information on how to apply will be found on the SAGP website at: www.saudiarabiangp.com.
Sara Baghdadi, SMC’s Head of Community Programme, is excited at how the SMC Volunteer Programme is continuing to grow: “We are delighted to celebrate all our amazing Volunteers on International Volunteer Day. It is clear that delivering an event of the size and scale of our Formula 1 race weekend would not be feasible without the vital support of our Volunteers – the hard working, passionate and capable men and women of Saudi Arabia. It has been incredibly satisfying to see how many people of all ages and gender have responded to our Volunteer recruitment drive for both previous races and the level of work they have delivered. For 2023, we are expecting even more Volunteers to join our various departments and continue to help our race grow into one the of the most spectacular events on the F1 calendar. It is hard to quantify just how much knowledge each Volunteer gains form working on the Grand Prix and how much this will benefit Saudi Arabia as a whole as they use this experience to grow their own careers in future. We want to say, ‘Thank You’ to all Volunteers who have helped so far and can’t wait to welcome you back for 2023!”
The FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX will be returning to Jeddah, home of the world’s fastest street circuit, on the 17th-19th March 2023. The pinnacle of motorsport’s third visit to Saudi Arabia will be the second race on the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship calendar, meaning F1® will again be returning to the Kingdom early in the new season when the championship will be wide open.
Fans will once more be able to sit in the Grandstands along the Red Sea Coast and watch their favourite drivers take on the thrilling Jeddah Corniche Circuit - the fastest and longest street circuit in the world - as they go wheel to wheel at average speeds of up to 252km/h.
Saudi Arabia is one of the newest venues on the Formula 1® calendar, having hosted its debut race in December 2021 and its second race just 4 months later in March 2022. Both editions proved to be two of the most exciting races in recent memory, providing some of the most iconic and breath-taking moments of on-track action of their respective seasons, making Formula 1®’s return on the weekend of March 17th -19th, 2023 unmissable!
Tickets for the Formula 1 stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will go on sale soon. To find out more, please visit www.saudiarabiangp.com
Follow us on social:
Twitter: @SaudiArabianGP
Instagram: @saudiarabiangp
Facebook: @saudiarabiangp
For Media Enquiries:
Saudi Arabian GP Contact: [email protected]
SMG Contact: [email protected]
SMG MENA: [email protected]
