Cristiano Ronaldo will not be attending this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, several informed sources told London Insider on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, reports began circulating that the Portuguese ace was “obligated” to attend the race in Jeddah as part of his deal with Saudi club Al-Nassr FC.
But sources have told this publication these reports are “fake news” and “baseless.”
“It’s fake news. Any notion that Cristiano will be attending the race in Saudi Arabia as part of his deal with Al-Nassr FC is baseless and patently false,” the source said.
“He will not be at the grand prix or any related events over the course of the weekend.”
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr FC in a shock move over the winter, amid his public fallout at Manchester United.
He is understood to be earning a reported £173 million per year, and it has been alleged that he will support Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid as part of the deal, though Al-Nassr FC have denied this claim.
This weekend’s race will be Saudi Arabia’s third Formula 1 grand prix, and it will make up round two of the 2023 calendar.
Max Verstappen is favourite to win the race, following his dominant display at the season-opener in Bahrain two weeks ago.