The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this weekend (14-15 February) for another dramatic desert duel – but this time, the action moves from the historic capital of Diriyah to Red Sea coastal city, Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia has been a regular stop on the Formula E calendar since 2018, when it became the first Middle Eastern nation to welcome the all-electric single-seater series. Now, however, the 22 high-calibre protagonists will need to tame a different challenge in the shape of the 3.001km, 19-turn, super-fast and technical Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which uses a modified layout of the Formula 1 track.

The first double-header of the campaign means the stakes will be sky-high, with big points to be won – and lost. 

It is TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team’s António Félix da Costa who leads the field into the event, having enjoyed a much stronger start to proceedings than 12 months ago. The Season 6 champion has been a model of consistency thus far – taking the chequered flag as runner-up in each of the opening two rounds – and he was the winner of the championship’s very first race in Saudi Arabia.

Da Costa holds a 12-point advantage over Mexico master Oliver Rowland (Nissan Formula E Team), who was unlucky not to similarly reach the rostrum in the Brazilian curtain-raiser and will be looking to maintain his current momentum. The Briton was a podium-finisher from pole position in Diriyah last year.

São Paulo star Mitch Evans is tied with Rowland in the standings and will be eager to quickly bounce back from a disappointing day in Mexico City that culminated in retirement following a collision, just as the Jaguar TCS Racing driver had looked poised to snatch another strong result.

Like Evans, defending title-holder Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) can claim to have been short-changed so far this season after his Brazilian bid ended upside-down in the barriers, but the German boasts a stellar prior record in Saudi Arabia, as one of only three double winners in the kingdom – tallying back-to-back triumphs in 2023.

Sam Bird has also prevailed twice in the Middle Eastern nation – in 2019 and 2021. The British ace and team-mate Taylor Barnard have shown promising form for NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in Season 11, both placing inside the top four in Brazil.

Fellow Brit Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E) dominated race one in Diriyah last year and counts three further rostrum results to his credit in the country. The 2022/23 champion returns splitting the McLaren pair in the Drivers’ table, and a single point ahead of two-time title-winner Jean-Éric Vergne, who spearheaded a double DS Penske top six finish in Mexico last month ahead of stablemate Maximilian Günther. The Frenchman has twice finished runner-up in Saudi Arabia.

Mahindra Racing duo Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara have jointly pocketed three top eight results this season in an encouraging start for the Indian outfit. In 2021 and 2022, they similarly shared three of the four Diriyah victories.

Others to have shone in Saudi Arabia in the past are Stoffel Vandoorne (Maserati MSG Racing), Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) and Lucas Di Grassi (Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team) – notching up eight podium appearances between them – while the most recent winner there, Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy, will be fired-up to kick-start his challenge with a big score having uncharacteristically drawn a blank from the opening two E-Prixs.

The weekend will begin with a special 40-minute Rookie Free Practice session on Thursday (13 February), building upon the success of the groundbreaking Women’s Test in Madrid last October. Offering drivers who have never previously competed in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship the opportunity to sample the technologically-advanced GEN3 Evo car introduced this season, it will feature drivers such as Jamie Chadwick, Théo Pourchaire, Tatiana Calderón, Daniil Kvyat or Mikkel Jensen.

The innovative new Pit Boost will also debut in the first of the forthcoming two races, requiring all drivers to make a mandatory 30-second pit-stop for a 10% energy boost (3.85kWh) via a 600kW booster. This feature that showcases Formula E’s race to road messaging, will subsequently be implemented in Monaco, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin and London.

The inaugural Jeddah E-Prix – round three of Formula E’s 2024/25 campaign – will get underway at 20:05 local time (18:05 CET) on Friday, 14 February, followed by round four at the same time on Saturday, 15 February.

THE 2025 TRACK

MEDIA CENTRE

Opening Hours of the Media Centre
Thursday 13th February 10:00 - 22:30
Friday 14th February 10:00 - 00:00
Saturday 15th February 10:00 – 00:00

2025 JEDDAH E-PRIX TIMETABLE

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

2025 JEDDAH E-PRIX ENTRIES

ROOKIE FREE PRACTICE ENTRIES