Formula One Group CEO Chase Carey has opened the door for a Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, confirming the organisation is always open to the possibility of new races on the calendar.

Bahrain was the first Middle East country to host a Formula One Grand Prix in 2004, followed by Abu Dhabi in 2009. Both races have been stalwarts of the F1 calendar since.

With Saudi Arabia’s sporting footprint growing and the Formula E hosted in Riyadh for the oast two years, there have been suggestions that an F1 Grand Prix could be next on the Kingdom’s radar.

And Carey, who has been CEO and executive chairman of Formula One Group since Liberty Media’s $301 million takeover in 2017, appeared to suggest it could be possible.

“The Middle East is an important area because it has plenty of potential growth for interest in our sport,” Carey told Arabian Business.

“The average age of the population in this area is very young and it is opening up more and more to the rest of the world, and sport, especially Formula 1, can be a great vehicle to accelerate this process.

“[Formula One will] carefully evaluate all the opportunities that might arise in the near future, without ruling anything out for now”.

Carey was full of praise for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix organisers, who have grown the race into one of the most eagerly anticipated on the calendar for drivers and fans.

“Over the past decade, Abu Dhabi has become a special event on the Formula 1 calendar, with its floodlights, the marina and that touch of glamour which makes it unique,” Carey said.

“We believe that the Formula 1 of the future should be a cocktail of different ingredients, from the famous historic old venues such as Silverstone, Spa and Monza, to destination cities such as Singapore, Mexico City, Montreal and Melbourne, to dynamic cities like Hanoi which makes its debut next year and other venues that have a special attraction all of their own, such as Monaco and indeed Abu Dhabi.”