Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary

Special Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary
1 / 4
From right: Ben and Chris Mellors, Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia, and Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. (Supplied)
Special Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary
2 / 4
Saudia distributed a model plane, with vintage logo from the 80s, as a special gift to event attendees. (Supplied)
Special Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary
3 / 4
The Return of a Winner documentary premiered in Prince Sultan Aviation academy hall on March 6. (Supplied)
Special Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary
4 / 4
The Return of a Winner documentary premiered in Prince Sultan Aviation academy hall on March 6. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 03 April 2023

Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary

Saudi formula for F1 success charted in documentary
  • Film follows restoration of the championship-winning Williams FW07 race car, sponsored by Saudia in the 1980s
  • Saudia’s investment drove the Williams team, then known as the Albilad Saudia Racing Team, with the Saudi logo printed on the car’s body in 1979

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s decades of involvement with Formula One motorsports has been brought to the big screen with the premiere of a documentary charting the restoration of a Saudi-sponsored car that scored famous victories in the 1980s.

The “Return of a Winner” documentary was screened at the Prince Sultan Aviation Academy in Jeddah earlier this week, in a collaboration between the Saudi Motorsports Company and Saudia airline. 

The English documentary tells the story of the Williams FW07, a 40-year-old car sponsored by Saudia, and the race against time to restore it to celebrate its 1980 F1 World Championship-winning feats before last year’s Grand Prix in Jeddah.

Saudia’s investment drove the Williams team, then known as the Albilad Saudia Racing Team, with the Saudi logo printed on the car’s body in 1979, making the Kingdom the first Arab nation to get financially involved in Formula One.

The sponsorship lasted until 1984, giving international recognition and acknowledgement to Saudia in every race for eight F1 seasons. Williams achieved great success and incredible wins with the FW07, including the 1980 F1 World Championship result with 15 wins and 300 points to its name.

Post the Saudia-Williams era, the race car was settled into the archives of its owner for the next four decades, where it collected dust and rust.

However, the idea of bringing the forgotten legend back to life again was sparked when the owner realized the car’s significance to the Kingdom. He made the promise to bring the car from Riyadh to restore it and run it on the fastest street track possible, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Restored to former glory

The restoration of the FW07 took intensive work by a brilliant British team of professional heritage race car specialists Chris Mellors and Ben Mellors and their team at Fifteen Eleven Design, who took on the challenge of having it ready for the Grand Prix in Jeddah in 2022.

Facing major challenges and technical difficulties Chris Mellors, the team principal of Fifteen Eleven Design, said in the documentary, “When we first looked at the car and tried to decide how we were going to do it, we were slightly concerned. (We had a) very tight timescale of about six weeks to get it ready for the Grand Prix, and some of the challenges were mountainous.”

Ben Mellors, Chris’s son and the head engineer of the company, said that the first time he saw the car it had an inch of sand and dust and he could not believe that a car in such a state won the 1980 championship. “It was quite clear that the task in front of us was going to be a large one,” he added.

With an empty shell engine, missing gearbox and parts, and serious mechanical concerns to deal with, the Fifteen Eleven Design team carefully packed the car and took it to their headquarters in the UK.

And so the magic began. Working around the clock on a mission that could not be rushed, the team restored the car while preserving its history, ensuring to use techniques and materials that were available in the 80s. 

“It would have been very easy for us to start using modern materials to speed the process up, but you then start losing the essence of the 1980s F1 Grand Prix car,” Ben said.

Once the engine was restored, the FW07 went through a test to make sure it was powerful enough and had no technical issues. With 500 brake horsepower, 480 kg weight and iconic green skirts that suck the car to the ground improving aerodynamics, and a chassis with the logos on it printed again, the team effort was a success.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Ben Mellors said he took great satisfaction from restoring the car. But driving it for the first time was probably the best part of the whole journey. 

Show time

To celebrate the successful restoration of the FW07, a race was held a few days before the Grand Prix in Jeddah between one of Saudia’s passenger planes and the FW07 at the King Abdulaziz International Airport.

The Sports Minister and former racer Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal was the man behind the idea of bringing the race car to reality again during the Grand Prix, where he had the chance to drive it. 

He said: “It’s been a dream come true ... the amount of power and cheer, the energy you feel inside the car is amazing.”

Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, told Arab News that the restoration gave the car a bright future.

“It’s a special moment for us … the support that Williams got from the Saudi companies gave him the opportunity to win his first championship. We played a big role in the past, and now we are very proud of our past,” he said. 

“And we want to bring back all the memories together and showcase them to the world … we are going to make history again, like what we made with the Williams and Saudia car.”

Captain Ibrahim Koshy, the CEO of Saudia, told Arab News that “Return of a Winner” represents Saudia not only as an airline but also as a nation: “When they (the Williams team) partnered with Saudia, they say it was part of their success, and this was the golden age of Saudia. 

“And I think this is really what we are going back to. We have a young generation, and we are engaging to get the world to visit Saudi Arabia. The sporting events … connecting the world to Saudi Arabia, via the airports and our network is growing.

“This really represents something more than just the event itself. Rather than just the restoration, it is more of a vision.”

Khaled Tash, group chief marketing officer of Saudia told Arab News that the documentary tells the Saudi story to the world.

“Saudia, as an airline has been for the greater part of its history, an airline that takes Saudis to the world to study, to go on vacation, or for business, but now the agenda and opportunities are different. 

“We now have a country that is full of opportunities for tourism, entertainment and business, and we want to bring people to Saudi Arabia.”

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is undergoing preparations to host the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the third international racing event hosted by the coastal city, which will be held on March 17-19 amid global anticipation for one of the biggest racing events of the year.

The documentary has been added to Saudia’s in-flight entertainment, giving passengers the chance to enjoy the 35-minute film by Patrick Head, Frank Dernie and Neil Oatley.


Saudi deputy foreign minister receives newly appointed US ambassador

Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji received the newly appointed US Ambassador to the Kingdom Michael Ratney on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji received the newly appointed US Ambassador to the Kingdom Michael Ratney on Sunday. (SPA)
Updated 58 min 45 sec ago

Saudi deputy foreign minister receives newly appointed US ambassador

Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji received the newly appointed US Ambassador to the Kingdom Michael Ratney on Sunday. (SPA)
  • As part of the meeting, they discussed developments of common concern and the deputy foreign minister welcomed the ambassador

RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji received the newly appointed US Ambassador to the Kingdom Michael Ratney on Sunday.

The two reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them.

As part of the meeting, they also discussed regional and international developments of common concern and the deputy foreign minister welcomed the ambassador, wishing him success in his new duties.

Under regional cooperation, the two countries released joint statements through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday calling on the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces to continue discussions to reach an agreement on extending the ceasefire that is set to expire at 9:45 p.m. Khartoum time on May 29.

The two countries became facilitators of a call to cease fire on May 6 and welcomed the start of pre-negotiation talks in Jeddah at the time.

In the first week of May Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Saud Al-Sati, received the newly appointed US ambassador to review bilateral relations, and regional and international developments.

On April 27 US ambassador officially presented his credentials to Saudi Undersecretary for Protocol Affairs Abdulmajeed Al-Smari.

Ratney was nominated by US President Joe Biden, and the US Senate confirmed him as the ambassador to the Kingdom in a voice vote on March 14.

At the time of his nomination in March, Ratney said he was committed to a “strong and sustainable US-Saudi partnership that advances US interests and reflects US values.”

Before taking on his position as ambassador, Ratney served as acting deputy director at the US Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute.

Previously, he served as the charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Jerusalem and the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary for the Levant and Israel and Palestinian Affairs. He was also the US special envoy for Syria.

Earlier in his career, Ratney served as the US consul general in Jerusalem and the deputy assistant secretary for international media at the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs.

Previous US ambassador to Saudi Arabia John P. Abizaid was nominated by former President Donald Trump in November 2018 and took on the position in April 2019.

Abizaid completed his mission in 2021, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires Martina Strong served until the end of her mission in April 2023.


Saudi-led project clears milestone 400,000 landmines in Yemen

Saudi-led project clears milestone 400,000 landmines in Yemen
Updated 28 May 2023

Saudi-led project clears milestone 400,000 landmines in Yemen

Saudi-led project clears milestone 400,000 landmines in Yemen
  • Overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the Masam initiative continues to remove deadly devices

RIYADH: A Saudi-led humanitarian project in Yemen has seen a milestone 400,000 landmines and unexploded ordnance cleared in more than five years.

Overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the Masam initiative continues to remove deadly devices laid in the war-torn country by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Operations have been taking place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale, and Saada.

The scheme also involves the training of local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. In addition, it offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.

In June 2022, the project’s contract was extended for another year at a cost of $33.29 million.

Masam project managing director, Ousama Al-Gosaibi, said: “It is a very honorable and promising figure and an unprecedented result that we are proud of as a humanitarian project, not only on the Yemeni level, but also on the global one, especially if we take into consideration the conditions of demining and the unfamiliar nature of mines that Yemen is going through.

“It has contributed to restoring life to normal in several Yemeni regions, where people can today enjoy a safe life away from the threats of mines. It has also saved the lives of many innocent people.

“Masam is a project of life, a project of struggle, aiming at laying the foundations of a safe life from mines in Yemen. Such a project harnesses its field, technical, and media energies for this noble goal, and will spare no effort for that at all.

“The figure 400,000 is the title of our success, and it is an incentive for us to move forward in our greatest achievements, our ultimate goal, and our pursued promise; a Yemen without mines,” he added.

Al-Gosaibi pointed out that under the project more than 46 million square meters of land in Yemen had been cleared of ammunition, mines, and explosive devices.


Makkah municipality recruits 22,000 people for Hajj

Iranian pilgrims arrive at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. (SPA)
Iranian pilgrims arrive at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. (SPA)
Updated 28 May 2023

Makkah municipality recruits 22,000 people for Hajj

Iranian pilgrims arrive at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. (SPA)
  • King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah received the first group of Hajj pilgrims from Nigeria on Saturday

RIYADH: Makkah municipality has completed preparations for Hajj, including recruiting 22,000 workers to boost pilgrim services.

Spokesperson Osama Zaituni said that the municipality has mobilized all its human and mechanical capacities, supported by assistance teams including public security and scouts, temporary health monitors, as well as a large fleet of equipment and machinery, to provide the highest levels of municipal services to pilgrims.

Zaituni added that the municipality has prepared its 13 sub-municipalities and three subsidiary municipalities, as well as 28 centers in Makkah, geographically distributed to cover the entire area of the holy sites, and provided them with all the machinery and manpower needed, in addition to recruiting 22,000 people to cover all fields.

Meanwhile, the General Directorate of Passports at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Saturday received the first group of Hajj pilgrims from Nigeria.

Another flight carrying Hajj pilgrims from Iran landed at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

The directorate has expressed its readiness to effectively manageprocedures for pilgrims during Hajj at airports, land borders and seaports.

It has also reiterated its commitment to utilizing all available resources to facilitate the entry process for pilgrims, including the implementation of cutting-edge devices at ports to streamline operations.


Violations by Sudanese parties greatly impeding delivery of aid: Saudi-US statement

Smoke billows behind buildings in southern Khartoum, on May 27, 2023, amid= fighting between the forces of two rival generals.
Smoke billows behind buildings in southern Khartoum, on May 27, 2023, amid= fighting between the forces of two rival generals.
Updated 28 May 2023

Violations by Sudanese parties greatly impeding delivery of aid: Saudi-US statement

Smoke billows behind buildings in southern Khartoum, on May 27, 2023, amid= fighting between the forces of two rival generals.
  • Both sides said they are committed to facilitating humanitarian assistance but have committed prohibited acts that impeded those efforts: Statement

RIYADH: Violations by warring parties during the short-term cease-fire in Sudan have significantly impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid and the restoration of basic services, a Saudi-US statement said on Sunday.

The statement said that despite both sides saying they are committed to facilitating humanitarian assistance and the restoration of essential services for the sake of the Sudanese people, they have committed prohibited acts that impeded those efforts.

“In violation of the prohibition against aerial attacks and the use of military aircraft or drones, the Sudanese Armed Forces has flown military aircraft daily during the cease-fire,” the statement said.

This includes a confirmed airstrike on May 27 in Khartoum that reportedly killed two people and a separate airstrike on the same day that damaged Sudan’s currency printing press.

The statement added that the Rapid Support Forces continues to infiltrate civilian areas, occupying homes, private businesses, and public buildings.

“There have been confirmed instances of looting of residences and businesses by the RSF in those areas,” it said. 

Both the army and the RSF undertook attacks and moved troops, weapons, and other resources despite the cease-fire. 

The army conducted multiple attacks in the Saq Al-Umla area and the RSF moved significant forces to the Al-Halfaya Bridge, in proximity to the Wadi Seidna Air Base, the statement said.

Specific instances of violations are listed below:

On May 26, humanitarian actors seeking access to hospitals and other infrastructure observed snipers in RSF-controlled territory.

On May 24, members of the army commandeered medical supplies from two separate facilities to which those goods had just been delivered.

On May 25, fuel funds and two vehicles in a humanitarian convoy were stolen.

“Maintenance personnel have been unable to access essential infrastructure facilities to conduct repairs due to the presence of armed actors at those facilities and heavy fighting in proximity to them. Both parties are posturing for further escalation,” the statement said.

The Kingdom and the US, as facilitators, said the cessation of airstrikes carried out by the army, the withdrawal of RSF forces from urban areas, and ending attacks against humanitarian actors would facilitate improved delivery of assistance that the Sudanese people badly need.

“We have urged both parties to agree to an extension of the current cease-fire, however imperfectly observed, to provide more time for humanitarian actors to undertake that vital work,” both countries said.

The cease-fire is due to expire on Monday as weeks of fighting reached a stalemate in the capital and elsewhere in the African country on Sunday.


Saudi Arabia, Malaysia sign deal for mutual recognition of halal certification

Saudi Arabia, Malaysia sign deal for mutual recognition of halal certification
Updated 28 May 2023

Saudi Arabia, Malaysia sign deal for mutual recognition of halal certification

Saudi Arabia, Malaysia sign deal for mutual recognition of halal certification
  • Agreement aims to standardize halal standards due to variances in specifications, with over 400 certificates worldwide

RIYADH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, also known as JAKIM, signed a memorandum of cooperation for mutual recognition of the halal certification of locally manufactured products.

The agreement was signed by SFDA CEO Dr. Hisham bin Saad Al-Jadhey and Jakim Director General Dr. Hakima Yusuf.

It also includes areas of cooperation on conformity assessment procedures, standard specifications, regulations for issuing halal certificates, and knowledge exchange in training, research and laboratory analysis of halal products.

Al-Jadhey said the agreement aims to standardize halal standards due to variances in specifications, with over 400 certificates worldwide.

He emphasized the importance of establishing a regulatory framework to improve the dependability of halal products for Muslims worldwide.

He said the Saudi Halal Center has been working for several years to establish a framework for a uniform international halal certification system, citing the signing of a memorandum of cooperation in this regard between the Kingdom and Morocco in October last year.