Middle Eastern countries adore the rush of adrenaline and the sound of the F1 car just as much as any other country. The three Grand Prix scheduled on the Middle Eastern side is a testament to that. Saudi Arabian government is receiving harsh criticism for its human rights record as it continues to grow its sporting presence in the country. Many people have expressed concern over the situation, but none has spoken out as forcefully as the social activist and F1 legend Lewis Hamilton.

81 executions in one day in the nation last year generated headlines about the situation of human rights there. The deterioration of the human rights situation had compelled Lewis to put his participation in the Saudi Arabian racetracks in peril. However, Saudi government has responded to Mr. Hamilton’s stand for human rights with 800,000,000 developing Saudi Arabia.

Hamilton has taken a stance on the Middle Eastern nation’s human rights issues multiple times. In Qatar in 2021, one such event took place when a British participant wore a rainbow helmet to support the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, the British driver had threatened to boycott the Jeddah circuit this year due to the country’s social problems and unaddressed troubles.

Hamilton has spoken out about the problems using his platform and in his opinion, little has changed since last year, and he wants to see progress made. To that Saudi Arabia has been creating an area that is 2.5 times larger than Walt Disney World in order to encourage entertainment, hospitality, and several other activities.

Speaking about the Saudi government’s plans for the new Qiddiya project, the host of The VF1 show with VF and Vincenzo stated that the $8 billion Qiddiya megaproject, which has been under construction since 2019, aims to boost Saudi representation on the F1 calendar in the coming years.

The host said,  “ This massive $8 billion project That Saudi Arabia is developing they’re focusing on getting away from oil money more in tourism. This project is supposedly 2 1/2 times bigger than Walt Disney World. It’s got entertainment, hospitality all sorts of things. With that project is a track, a new track they’re building. So the current Saudi Arabian track is in Jeddah and the new Qiddia project is outside of Riyadh, which is the capital. I’ve been to Riyadh. Very cool city. It’s actually it’s very cool. The historic center is awesome. I was, very impressed when I went. And the hospitality we were treated to was was fantastic.”

READ MORE: Amid Worst Form in 15-Year-Long F1 Career, “Uncle” Lewis Hamilton Takes Out Precious Time to Share the “Happiest Moments” With Loved Ones

Hamilton has never refrained from expressing his ideas. And in light of that, the Saudi minister had offered Hamilton a chance to discuss the country’s entire predicament in person.

Lewis Hamilton was once invited to discuss country-specific concerns by a Saudi Arabian prince

After a missile assault on an oil facility close to the Jeddah circuit last year, the Saudi race was almost going to cancel. However, a lengthy conversation with the sports administration followed and eventually, the race took place. However, Hamilton was one of the drivers to make comments about not being “comfortable” racing in Saudi Arabia.

However, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sport, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al- Faisal, offered the British driver the opportunity to sit down and discuss his concerns about competing as part of those meetings. Later, the prince went on to say that he was prepared to sit down with Hamilton because, in his opinion, many of these problems stem from a lack of communication and a lack of comprehension of what is going on.

He said, “I saw the comments that Lewis made and that he has problems with some of the things in Saudi Arabia. I told him openly and frankly that he can talk to me. Let’s sit down, let’s discuss what his problems are and let’s understand where we are, because a lot of these things, you read a lot about but you don’t see them.”

“It’s a small world today in terms of communication, but we really live in different parts of the world with different cultures and different mentalities.”

WATCH THIS STORY:  F1 Drivers Threaten Saudi Arabian GP Boycott After Missile Attacks

Given the current circumstances of the nation, do you anticipate Hamilton competing in the Saudi race the following year?