Since hosting its inaugural Formula 1 race in December 2021, Saudi Arabia’s standing in world motorsport has continued to blossom. Saudi Arabian state-owned oil company Aramco sponsors Aston Martin, while both Formula E and the World Rally Championship hold events in the country. Saudi Arabia is building its first permanent race circuit in Qiddiya, Riyadh Province, and will replace Jeddah as the home of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from 2028.
Naturally, the next question is: when will Saudi Arabia have one of its own on the F1 grid? But among the 35 million who make up Saudi Arabia’s population is a talent who has the skill and grit to make the wait a short one.
Janna Talal Al-Nujaiman is a young woman in a hurry. Despite her late start, the 14-year-old from Jeddah has impressed those in the European karting scene with her speed and strong racecraft.
But just who is Janna, and how did she go from humble beginnings to rubbing shoulders with top-level go-karters?
A trip to the mall inspires a career change
Born to a Saudi father and a Ukrainian mother, Al-Nujaiman began her sporting career at a young age, but her first love was not four wheels. Initially, Al-Nujaiman took up tennis, training under a coach until the age of nine, when an ordinary visit to a mall in 2021 changed her life forever.
The mall featured a go-kart track near its car park, and after a friend invited her to go karting, Al-Nujaiman had her first taste of motorsport. Despite no prior racing experience and no family background in motorsport, Al-Nujaiman‘s father, Talal, a highly esteemed pilot, noticed something special in his daughter’s abilities behind the wheel.
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“The first minute she started driving, compared to the others, okay, which is normal, people, children and adults mixed, I noticed Janna is driving well,” reflected Talal. “And she’s overtaking and speeding, and I was like, wow!
“Immediately, I called her mom. I said, ‘Have you ever brought Janna here before?’ I mean, did she drive before she said, ‘Never?’ I said, “Wow, the girl she’s driving.”
“I noticed that the way she drives is really good.
“So when they finished, I said, ‘Are you happy?’ She said, ‘Yeah, Daddy, I’m okay fine, I love it.’ Then I told the woman, ‘Okay, sit down, don’t leave the car. I want another turn,’ which is like, 10 minutes, you know, every time.
“So when she started doing it again, I did it for a purpose. I want to see the printout, I want to see the result. Cause there is something in my mind. What I’ve seen is not normal.
“So I took the result, and I asked the guy, I said, ‘Can I ask you a question, please?’ ‘For a girl nine years old, never driven a vehicle or a motor, or even PlayStation, is this normal? For a girl, he said, ‘No, it’s not normal’.”
Not long after her first laps, Janna was back on track, getting more time behind the wheel and consistently beating targets set by her father, with local teams keeping an eye on her progress.
However, the war in Ukraine left Janna on the sidelines for two years and stalled her progression before a summer vacation to Nancy, France. There, the Al-Nujaimans spotted a karting track nearby.
The circuit was directed by Herve Mountain, a retired French rally driver, and with his guidance, Janna continued where she left off, impressing circuit owners and teams alike, including WRC champion co-driver Vincent Landais.
Despite going up against rivals with over a decade more experience, Al-Nujaiman was not there to make up the numbers and showcased strong racecraft, allowing her to climb through the field.
Janna continues where she left off
Upon returning to Saudi Arabia, Al-Nujaiman competed in regional championships, continuing to gain experience and consistently breaking into the top 20 from the back of the grid.
Al-Nujaiman also showed great determination and poise in the face of adversity. One example came in the French Open Championship in 2024, as despite missing two races due to mechanical failures, she charged from 32nd and last on the grid in the superheat to finish 16th.
Al-Nujaiman’s performances caught the attention of French team Dream Racing, who secured her signature for 2024, during which she once again raced in Europe and the Middle East.
The increase in competition forced Talal to make the decision of his life and quit flying Boeing 777s around the world as a pilot in command. It brought an end to 35 years of experience across all aircraft categories and allowed him to request early retirement, so he could devote all his time to his daughter and be by her side as she navigates the European karting scene.
Al-Nujaiman’s growth as a driver continued at the 2024 IAME World Championship in Zuera, Spain, one of the most prestigious events on the karting calendar. In each of the three heats, she overtook a dozen drivers and achieved a best finish of 15th in the second heat.
Visit from Vettel gives Janna increased recognition
Ahead of the 2025 Saudi GP in Jeddah, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel paid a visit to the country, hosting a Race4Women event to develop grassroots go-karting in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Nujaiman, along with nine other Saudi women, was invited to compete against Vettel in a short race, with Janna setting the early pace in practice.
In the race itself, Al-Nujaiman looked on course to beat Vettel, only for a technical issue late on to drop her to last. Nonetheless, Janna had earned the respect of the four-time world champion, who was quick to console her after losing a likely victory and invited her to the podium.
Can Janna go to the top?
After once again representing Saudi Arabia in the IWF finals of 2025, where she secured solid results including a 13th-place finish in one of the heats, as well as a 19th-place finish in the IAME EuroCup final in France, Al-Nujaiman remained with Dream Racing for 2026.
Naturally, Janna’s next step is moving up to cars, either graduating to Formula 4 or F1 Academy, which races in Jeddah as part of the support bill for the Saudi Arabian GP.
Ahmed Baokbah, a prominent expert on the local Saudi Arabian motorsport scene, believes Al-Nujaiman has what it takes to make it to the top.
“There has been a race among motorsport drivers in Saudi Arabia, to get the first [Saudi] F1 driver on the grid, and for me it would be cool if the first Saudi F1 driver would be a woman,” said Baokbah. “And that is Janna representing Saudi Arabia in F1 Academy.
“A lot of people believe our region is drenched with money, and anyone who can be in the sport is rich. However, that is not the case; we have parents who are doing their best to support their kids in pursuing their dreams and see them come true.
“As of now, Janna can only go as far as karting, but anything further than that, they’ll need a proper support, a proper system that backs her and propels her forward to something like F1 Academy. She has proven she is worthy of that support, and she is the number one candidate in Saudi Arabia for such a spot.”
Al-Nujaiman currently lies second in the KSA Rotax Max Challenge standings and has qualified for the Ladies Cup, a world championship for young women drivers held at Le Mans, France, in October of this year.
