Saudi Arabian women celebrated on Sunday when the ban on women being able to drive in the country was finally uplifted.
While organised driving events took place around the country, one woman celebrated in a rather different way by taking to the country’s national racing circuit in a Jaguar F-Type.
Aseel Al Hamad had waited her entire life to get to drive in her own country, despite driving on various tracks around the world in an assortment of cars.
Even when the ban was still in place, she became the first woman to be a board member of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation, while also representing Women in Motorsport for the FIA (Federation International de l’Automobile).
The ban was lifted at midnight on June 23, although the plan to allow women to take to the roads was announced in September 2017. Saudi Arabian women have been receiving driving licences since June 5, though.
Al Hamad said her passion for cars started at a young age, but she never gave up on the dream to be able to drive a car legally in her home country.
“My passion for driving started as a little girl. I always preferred playing with my brother’s cars rather than my own toys. Over the years my family have been a great influence in my life and always encouraged me to follow my dreams as a driver,” she said.
“Today was extremely emotional and I am so happy that I can show my success in my home land. I have waited all my life for this. I always believed one day this would happen. I’ve raced all around the world and to now be able to race here today and in the future makes me so proud.”
Al Hamad teamed up with Jaguar for the day, to take a Jaguar F-Type sports car around the Reem Circuit in Riyadh. Jaguar is now calling for June 24 to be known as ‘World Driving Day’ when finally the whole world can enjoy being able to get behind the wheel.
The F-Type is Jaguar's premier performance car, and is available in a suite of guises including the four-cylinder model seen here, all the way through to powerful V8-powered SVR models. Al Hamad said the F-Type was the "ultimate car to roar around the track".
Jaguar joined with Al Hamad to mark the ban being uplifted for women, adding "Jaguar is built for people who love driving".
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