The rocky terrain in Saudi Arabia drew criticism during the WRC premiere—Prince Al-Faisal responds and does not rule out relocating the rally in the future.
In the fall of 2025, the World Rally Championship visited Saudi Arabia for the first time. The new race on the Red Sea was the season finale. Sebastien Ogier was crowned world champion for the ninth time. But there were also critical voices from the drivers about the terrain in Saudi Arabia.
The stony ground caused tire damage. Some drivers spoke of a “lottery” because the terrain is more suitable for Dakar Rally vehicles than for Rally1 cars. Tire manufacturer Hankook also announced improvements for this year.
The organizers in Saudi Arabia are also taking the feedback seriously. “First of all, we naturally respect the opinions of all drivers,” said Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, head of the Saudi Arabian Motor Sports Federation, on the sidelines of the Dakar Rally in January. “Perhaps this is new to some WRC drivers here, but if you think back to the old Safari WRCs, it’s actually quite similar. So I understand why they are concerned and say that it is difficult for WRC cars.“
”But at the same time, it’s a new challenge. For them, it means driving on completely different terrain. For example, if you tell Saudi drivers to drive on ice or snow, they will also say: That’s unfamiliar.”
“But I think that’s exactly what’s good for the motorsport spectrum. Different conditions make you a better driver because you learn to adapt to different environments.”
Al-Faisal is himself a passionate racing driver and used to drive Group N cars. Last year, he competed in the Ha’il Rally with a Toyota Hilux, and he also dreams of competing in the Dakar Rally in the near future. He was there for the WRC premiere in his country and got an idea of what it’s like. The stages took place north of the city of Jeddah. The season finale will also take place in this region of the country in November this year.
“The event will take place in Jeddah for the first year or two, but after that we’ll have to see which other regions are suitable – perhaps asphalt as well,” says Al-Faisal, not wanting to rule anything out for the future.
“This year, however, the conditions will still be similar. We’ll do our best, but most of the tracks don’t run over soft sand. The places in Saudi Arabia that are suitable for the WRC are near the mountains, where there are a lot of rocks.“
”I think this is something the drivers need to understand and learn: how to adapt and drive on this kind of surface. It’s certainly not easy, but I think they’ll come to appreciate it over time.”
“We take their concerns very seriously and will try to find alternatives, perhaps with fewer rocks. Or we’ll go to other places, because we have many regions in the country where we could host a WRC.”