Beyond the Grand Prix: Vettel’s mission to put Saudi women on track

Dubai: Engines have been roaring in Jeddah — but the most meaningful laps this week may have already happened on a modest karting track outside the spotlight.

As Formula One returned to Saudi Arabia, former world champion Sebastian Vettel was shifting gears — empowering local women to chase a future in motorsport.

While the world’s elite racers prepared for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, German ace hosted his Race4Women event, aimed at promoting the sport at the grassroots level — specifically for women. His mission took place at a local karting facility, where 20 young women were taught the principles of racing, fitness and motorsport theory.

Drivers like Dania Akeel, Reema Juffali and 22-year-old Farah AlYousef, the 2022 Saudi women’s karting champion, have been blazing their own trail in motorsport in Saudi Arabia since 2018.

Vettel, the four-time world champion who raced for Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin, first ran a similar programme in 2021. He returned this year with an even bigger group.

“We had great feedback last time,” Vettel told F1 website, recalling the inaugural karting event. “The handful of girls and women we were able to get together — it was a great group and a great spirit last time.

“But so much has happened. We’ve stayed in touch with the track here, with people who supported us from the beginning. There was the idea to follow up — and this time, we had a lot more girls and women taking interest, and a much bigger group of 20 young women and girls showing up and having the courage to get behind the wheel.”

Courage is the right word. Getting into a go-kart for the first time can be daunting, but each participant brought the perfect mix of competitiveness and enthusiasm. The event also reflects how much the country has changed since the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.

Saudi Arabia now hosts major events such as the Dakar Rally — won this year by local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi — and a round of the all-electric Formula E championship. The country’s Automobile and Motorcycle Federation also runs a “Next Gen” programme with a strong focus on rallying and female participation.

The Race4Women event was held over two days, with the intensity rising on Day Two, as the karters competed in two heat races before the final.

“Events like this are extremely important for one reason — it is for the ladies or drivers to change their own idea of themselves,” says Dania Akeel, a Saudi Arabian former motorcycle racer who now competes in rally-raid.

“If they think they don’t have a chance and they’re just here on the weekend — and it’s quiet and they just love to drive — they feel like they’re only here for that one session and they go back to their ‘real life’. That can be the experience of a lot of people,” adds Akeel, who won the Ducati Cup in the UAE National Sportsbike Superseries in the 2019/2020 season.

With F1 bringing its trademark festival atmosphere to Jeddah, initiatives like Race4Women ensure the legacy goes beyond the main event — and keeps the engine running for the next generation of Saudi women in motorsport.