Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain steers his car during the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, Saturday
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By Agencies
The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team made a bid for ‘more women in F1’ at the Middle East’s biggest Motor exhibition, the Seven Concourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Aston Martin’s Jessica Hawkins is a pioneer of women’s racing – in September last year became the first female to test drive an F1 car since 2018.
She is also Head of the F1 Academy, a female-only single-seater racing championship founded by Formula One.
“It was really nice to speak to the young girls this morning and help them find their passion within the sport and just raise the awareness of all the other different areas of motorsport you can work in” she said.
Hawkins was burning the rubber around the exhibition’s track, one of the attractions at the week-long Seven Concourse.
100,000 enthusiasts came to the event which housed some of the most valuable cars ever made, including the one-of-a-kind $USD 28 million Rolls Royce Boat Tail.
“We are lucky that this year we had 700 cars that are worth over 3 billion Saudi Riyal (800 million USD). 15 manufacturers from all over the world participated this year. Five of them it was their first participation in the Middle-East” said Seven Concourse CEO Adeel Alrajab.
The final evening of the exhibition saw an auction where cars attracted bids of well over $USD 2 million.
The Seven Concourse brings together global icons in car design and manufacturing, and includes more than 16 Zones of automotive activities.
The Manufacturers Zone saw Pagani, Bugatti, and GMA launch new models and cutting-edge designs while fans also showcased their modified rides.
The viewing track was a big draw for ‘petrol-heads’ as they witnessed Car Reveals for the first time in the region – exotics, supercars, hypercars, and classics were on display.