The circuit was designed by Carsten Tilke, son of the prominent circuit designer Hermann Tilke. Construction took place rapidly in 2021 to meet the deadline for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021, which was staged as the penultimate race of the 2021 Formula One season calendar. The layout runs through a purpose-configured section of the Jeddah waterfront district, threading between barriers on a route that features fifty-odd corners, three consecutive DRS zones, and minimal margin for error along sections where walls line both sides of the track.
The circuit's combination of high average speeds and tight, walled sections has drawn comparison to Monaco in terms of the consequences of error, while its average speed profile places it in an entirely different performance band. The layout favours aerodynamic downforce configurations that allow drivers to carry maximum speed through the medium- and high-speed corners that dominate the lap.
From 2022 through 2024 the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was scheduled for March, the weekend immediately before the start of Ramadan. The race shifted to April from 2025 onwards to allow it to take place after the Ramadan period.
In November 2022 the circuit hosted the season finale of the World Touring Car Cup, using a shorter 3.450 km configuration adapted from the Formula One layout. A further shortened layout of 3.001 km was prepared for the inaugural Formula E Jeddah ePrix in February 2025, incorporating a hairpin connecting corners from the Formula One circuit and additional chicanes on the front and back straights.
The circuit has also hosted Formula 2, F4 Saudi Arabian Championship, F1 Academy, Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East, and GT World Challenge Europe rounds, including the 6 Hours of Jeddah in 2024.
The 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend was disrupted by a series of missile attacks in the Jeddah region during the race weekend, with some strikes reported as close as 10 km from the circuit. The Grand Prix Drivers' Association held a four-hour meeting to discuss whether the race should proceed, and ultimately issued a statement confirming participation while acknowledging the drivers' safety concerns. The incident drew widespread attention to the political context surrounding the event and the commercial considerations that influence decisions about where Formula One races are held.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit established itself rapidly as one of the most technically demanding venues on the Formula One calendar. Its combination of high speed and extreme proximity of barriers rewards precision and punishes mistakes with immediate consequences, producing race weekends that frequently feature safety car interventions and retirements from contact with the walls. The circuit represents the most prominent element of Saudi Arabia's entry into top-level motorsport hosting, and is central to the country's strategy of using major sporting events as a component of its international engagement.