Why every Gulf state wants a Grand Prix

The Gulf states are preparing for life after oil. They need tourists, investors and a modern image, and few things put a country's name in front of the world like Formula 1: around 1.6 billion in total viewership in 2024, race after race, year after year.

Saudi Arabia shows the scale. It has put more than $6 billion into sport since its first Grand Prix in 2021, and it wants 150 million visitors a year by 2030. A race weekend fills hotels, sells out flights and, above all, tells the world the country is open.

Plain-language note: the "hosting fee" is what a country pays F1 for the right to stage a race. In Europe, private promoters pay it with ticket sales. In the Gulf, governments pay it themselves and treat it as an investment in their image.

In Europe, private promoters pay it with ticket sales. In the Gulf, the government pays, and calls it an investment in the country's image.

Bahrain, the pioneer. First in the region in 2004. The race brings about $100m a year to its economy, by the circuit's own estimate.

Abu Dhabi, the finale. The last race of the season since 2009, often the one that decides the title.

Saudi Arabia, the big spender. An estimated $100m+ a year in total, counting Aramco's F1 sponsorship.

Qatar, the hub. After the World Cup, F1 is one more piece of a bigger events plan.

Formula 1 made $3.87 billion in revenue in 2025, up 14% in a year. More than a quarter of the money F1 earns from its races comes from one source: the fees countries pay to host them. In the Gulf, the payer is not a private promoter but the state itself.

Hosting. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar each pay an estimated $52–57m a year, among the highest fees on the calendar. The contracts run for a long time: Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia until 2030, Qatar on a 10-year deal from 2023, Bahrain until 2036.

Sponsoring. Since 2020, Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state oil company, has been one of F1's top global partners, at an estimated $40–45m a year. It is also the title partner of the Aston Martin team. In 2023, Qatar Airways became F1's official airline. Its name is now on the Qatar Grand Prix itself.

Owning. In September 2025, Bahrain's state fund Mumtalakat and Abu Dhabi's CYVN bought out McLaren Racing's last outside investors. One source put the team's value at around $5 billion, and it is now fully Gulf-owned. Saudi Arabia's PIF owns almost 8% of the Aston Martin F1 team and 17% of the carmaker. The Qatar Investment Authority holds a stake in Audi's F1 team, with a seat on its board.

What's next. In 2023, PIF reportedly offered more than $20 billion to buy F1 outright. The sport's owner, Liberty Media, said no. In April 2025, the head of Saudi Arabia's motorsport federation said a Saudi-owned team "could happen soon."

The Gulf states are not one bloc. They compete for investors, tourists and global attention, and F1 is one of the places where that rivalry plays out.

A capped region. Under F1's former boss Bernie Ecclestone, a deal limited the Gulf to two races. When Liberty Media bought F1 in 2017, that cap went, and the race for races began.

Rivalry, then reconciliation. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and closed their borders. The blockade only ended in January 2021, with the Al-Ula Declaration¹. Ten months later, Qatar hosted its first Grand Prix. Today, partners and rivals sit side by side: Bahrain and Abu Dhabi co-own McLaren, after Saudi Arabia sold its stake to Bahrain.

A stage that can be hit. In 2011, Bahrain cancelled its race during the Arab Spring protests. It went ahead in 2012 despite clashes, with a protester killed two days before the race. Human rights groups called for a boycott, and the Crown Prince argued that cancelling would "strengthen extremists." In 2022, a missile hit an oil depot near the Jeddah circuit during practice.

2026, the stress test. War across the region cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi races, which could cost F1 up to $200m. The WTA Finals left Riyadh for the United States. Bahrain refused to give up its slot and raced 6,000 km away, in Malaysia, under its own name.

¹ Al-Ula Declaration: signed on 5 January 2021 at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. It ended the boycott of Qatar that began in June 2017 and restored diplomatic relations.

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