The weekend-long two-race event in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, has officially come to a close. Here’s a recap of all the action throughout both race days.
‘Formula E is back for a weekend of electrified entertainment’
World-class motorsport is back on the streets of Diriyah once again as the Diriyah E-Prix returns for two back-to-back night races through the streets of the Saudi Arabian town. The 2nd and 3rd rounds of the 2024 Formula E campaign featured some of the best drivers in the world reaching speeds of over 200kmph. This is Riyadh’s biggest motorsport event of the year; a synergy between cutting-edge technology, sustainability, and motorsport excellence.
A weekend of sport, music and entertainment for everyone.
OneRepublic and Backstreet Boys headlined a weekend of unforgettable live music. Entertainment for the whole family with live music, a gaming arena, street food, and much more was available throughout the weekend. This truly was an unmissable experience and a fun weekend for the whole family.
We’re growing motorsport as part of our sporting ambitions.
By the end of this year (2024), over half a million Saudis have enjoyed live motorsport events since 2018. Around 60% of Diriyah E-Prix attendees are under 35, and around 35% are women and girls. There are various grassroots motorsport initiatives to inspire and drive interest, including karting and schools.
Fri. 26 Jan. 2024 – Former Champion, Dennis, Reclaims his Throne
After a stellar 2022/23 season that saw Jake Dennis, the 28-year-old British racing driver, win the Formula E World Championship, a 9th-place finish in the opening round of the campaign came as a shock to many. The Andretti Global star came back in full force for the first of two races in Diriyah, however, claiming the second-largest margin of victory since the racing series began almost a decade ago.
Slippery track conditions were no problem for the veteran who, starting third on the grid, overcame the only two-time Formula E champion, Jean-Éric Vergne (DS Penske), on the way to this tremendous win. Where podium places are often separated by less than a second, the 13.289 second gap between him and his closest rival was simply an astoundingly impressive showing. Dennis commented on his race win, stating, “I can only honestly thank these guys out here so much, you know, we’ve had a difficult start to the season, but we turned it around and came back. I got my biggest win in Formula E tonight. The last eight, nine laps I could really give everything and create that 13-second lead. These days don’t come around very often. I got to show these guys tonight and we’ll try and do it again tomorrow.”
In other news across the pack, Vergne finished in a respectable second place while Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS) rounded up the podium places. Cassidy, who ran lower than sixth throughout most of the race, pulled off an impressive set of maneuvers late in the race, using the Attack Mode racing feature to aid him in his triumph. Attack Mode allows cars to purposefully forgo the racing line (the quickest way around the track) to receive a temporary boost in battery power. Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS) ran a risky maneuver in the dying seconds of the race from third place, attempting a bid for second place. He was pushed slightly too hard, recovering his car but finishing 5th.
Sam Bird (NEOM McLaren) once again demonstrated his fondness for the Diriyah Street Circuit by carving through the field, earning a very respectable five positions, moving from ninth to fourth in the race. He earned the ABB Driver of Progress award for these in-race achievements. Norman Nato (Andretti) and Maximilian Günther (Maserati MSG) delivered commendable performances, securing sixth and seventh places, respectively. Meanwhile, Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche), who emerged victorious in the first race of the season in Mexico City, maintained his position at the top of the drivers’ world championship, albeit with a narrow margin, finishing in eighth place.
Sat. 27 Jan. 2024 – A Deserved Win for Nick Cassidy and Jaguar
It seems as if a Nick Cassidy race win was inevitable. The New Zealand native has been the best driver of the 2024 Formula E campaign so far, accenting his recent performances with a collected drive for a race win. Cassidy achieved his 50th race start on Saturday as well, wrapping up the weekend very nicely for the Jaguar driver. Starting from third, Cassidy was able to maintain pace with the leaders for the first portion of the race. After the first round of Attack Mode activations, solid strategy found the Kiwi 2.5 seconds in the lead. Cassidy seemed extremely pleased with the result, stating, “Every win is special, it’s just been a dream start. I’m waiting for a bad day, it’s gonna come but for now we ride, we ride.”
Robin Frijns (Envision) and Oliver Rowland (Nissan) also rounded out the weekend of events in good standing, filling in for 2nd and 3rd place respectively. This is the first time that either of them has seen the podium places since Season 8, two years ago. Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren) achieved his career personal best by securing P4, matching his teammate’s outcome from Round 2 just the day before. Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) claimed fifth place, maintaining his consistent performances in Diriyah.
In his debut season, Jehan Daruvala (Maserati MSG) seemed to be looking at his maiden Formula E points, running in the top 10 for most of the race. This venture was devastatingly spoiled by an apparent brake failure, forcing him out of the race with only laps to go. However, the race also saw an impressive effort from Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche), who extended his points streak to an unprecedented 14 races, the longest streak in the competition’s history.
