The Diriyah E-Prix

Saudi Arabia has been central to Formula E since the series raced under the lights at Ad Diriyah in Season 5. The Diriyah E-Prix, staged adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif, has become one of the most prestigious rounds on the Formula E calendar. The circuit winds through the historic district northwest of Riyadh, combining electric racing technology with cultural heritage in a format unique to the Kingdom. This section covers race operations, team strategies, powertrain regulations, sustainability metrics, and the commercial architecture supporting Formula E in Saudi Arabia.

History of Formula E in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Formula E predates its engagement with Formula 1 by three years. The Kingdom hosted its first Formula E race in December 2018, when the Ad Diriyah E-Prix opened Season 5 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Antonio Felix da Costa won that inaugural race for BMW i Andretti Motorsport, making it the first Gen2 race and the first Formula E race held in the Middle East. The event was staged on a 2.495-kilometer temporary street circuit with 21 turns adjacent to the At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage site, creating a visual contrast between historic mud-brick architecture and electric racing technology that became one of the series’ most distinctive settings.

The Diriyah E-Prix evolved across seasons, expanding from a single-race round to double-header formats that staged two races over one weekend. The complete race results at Diriyah demonstrate the venue’s competitive significance:

Season 5 (2018): Antonio Felix da Costa won for BMW i Andretti Motorsport, with Jean-Eric Vergne second and Jerome d’Ambrosio third. First Gen2 race, first Formula E in the Middle East.

Season 6 (2019): Double-header on November 22-23, 2019. Sam Bird won Race 1 for Envision Virgin Racing (Andre Lotterer second, Stoffel Vandoorne third). Alexander Sims won Race 2 for BMW i Andretti, with Maximilian Gunther initially finishing second for a BMW one-two before receiving a penalty.

Season 7 (2021): Double-header night race on February 26-27, 2021. Nyck de Vries won Race 1 for Mercedes-EQ (Edoardo Mortara second, Mitch Evans third) — the first ever Formula E night race. Sam Bird won Race 2 for Jaguar Racing (Robin Frijns second, Antonio Felix da Costa third).

Season 8 (2022): Double-header night race on January 28-29, 2022. Nyck de Vries won Race 1 for Mercedes-EQ (Stoffel Vandoorne second, Jake Dennis third). Edoardo Mortara won Race 2 for ROKiT Venturi Racing (Robin Frijns second, Lucas di Grassi third).

Season 9 (2023): Double-header (Rounds 2 and 3). Pascal Wehrlein won both races for Porsche, with Jake Dennis second in both. In Race 1, Wehrlein started ninth and won; Sebastien Buemi took pole. In Race 2, Jake Hughes (McLaren) took pole. Wehrlein became the fifth driver to win two races on the same venue in the same weekend.

Season 10 (2024): Double-header night race on January 26-27, 2024. Nick Cassidy won Race 2 for Jaguar Racing. This was the final race at the Diriyah venue, as the series moved to Jeddah for Season 11.

The most successful drivers at Diriyah were Nyck de Vries, Sam Bird, and Pascal Wehrlein, each with two victories. The most successful teams were Mercedes-EQ, Porsche, and BMW i Andretti, each with two wins.

The Move to Jeddah — Season 11

For Season 11 (2025), Formula E relocated from Diriyah to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, utilizing the existing Formula 1 infrastructure. The Jeddah E-Prix was held on February 14-15, 2025, on a 3.001-kilometer circuit with 19 turns — a reconfigured section of the full 6.174-kilometer F1 layout. The move to Jeddah provided Formula E with a longer, faster circuit and the operational advantages of established infrastructure, including the $500 million pit building complex.

The relocation positioned the Jeddah E-Prix alongside Monaco as one of the few venues hosting both Formula 1 and Formula E, creating a dual-purpose motorsport facility that maximizes the return on Saudi Arabia’s circuit infrastructure investment.

Gen3 Era and Technology

Formula E has entered the Gen3 era with significantly more powerful and faster cars. The Gen3 car produces 350 kW (470 hp) in qualifying mode and features regenerative braking on both the front and rear axles, recovering up to 40 percent of the energy used during a race. Top speeds reach 320 km/h, a significant increase over previous generations.

The Gen3 Evo, introduced for Season 11 (2025), represents a further evolution. The car accelerates 0-60 mph 30 percent faster than a current Formula 1 car and 36 percent faster than the previous Gen3 specification, making it the world’s fastest-accelerating single-seater race car. Season 11 fields 22 drivers across 11 teams and 6 manufacturers.

The series operates as a proving ground for electric vehicle technology, with manufacturers including Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, Maserati, and McLaren competing — making it one of the most manufacturer-rich racing series in the world. The competitive format emphasizes energy management and strategic battery deployment as core competitive differentiators. Attack Mode activation zones — where drivers must take a longer racing line to unlock additional power — add a strategic layer that rewards calculated risk-taking over pure outright speed.

For Saudi Arabia, the technology transfer potential of hosting Formula E aligns with the Kingdom’s investments in electric vehicle infrastructure, battery manufacturing, and sustainable energy systems. The Public Investment Fund has invested in Lucid Motors (electric vehicle manufacturer) and funded Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first domestic EV brand, with a target of 500,000 electric vehicles produced annually by 2030. The development of EV charging networks across Saudi cities, the Kingdom’s solar and wind energy expansion, and the broader sustainability objectives articulated through the Saudi Green Initiative create a strategic context in which hosting electric racing reinforces multiple policy objectives simultaneously.

Electric Motorsport Strategy

Saudi Arabia’s engagement with Formula E reflects strategic positioning in the electric mobility sector. The Kingdom is investing in electric vehicle infrastructure, battery technology, and sustainable energy systems as part of Vision 2030’s economic diversification objectives. Hosting Formula E provides a platform for demonstrating commitment to sustainability and clean technology while building domestic awareness of electric vehicles.

The Saudi Green Initiative targets 50 percent renewable energy generation by 2030 and includes the planting of 450 million trees. Hosting electric off-road racing through Extreme E (2021-2025) and electric circuit racing through Formula E creates a coherent narrative connecting Saudi motorsport hosting with environmental sustainability objectives. The forthcoming Qiddiya Speed Park is designed to host Formula E alongside Formula 1, consolidating the Kingdom’s multi-series motorsport hosting capability at a single world-class facility.

What This Section Covers

Each page in this section delivers detailed analysis covering Diriyah E-Prix race results and season performance, circuit layout and operational logistics, team strategies and powertrain technology, sustainability programs and environmental legacy initiatives, commercial partnerships and broadcast economics, and Formula E’s role within Saudi Arabia’s broader electric mobility and sustainability strategy.

The Diriyah Circuit

The Diriyah street circuit was a temporary layout constructed adjacent to the At-Turaif UNESCO World Heritage site in the Diriyah district northwest of Riyadh. The 2.495-kilometer circuit with 21 turns wound through the historic area, with the illuminated mud-brick structures of At-Turaif visible in the background during the night races that became a signature visual element. The circuit’s proximity to a UNESCO site created a unique juxtaposition between cutting-edge electric racing technology and one of the oldest urban settlements on the Arabian Peninsula, dating to the fifteenth century as the original seat of the House of Saud.

Formula E’s standard city circuit format features tight corners, narrow racing lines, and heavy braking zones that emphasize energy management and strategic battery deployment. The Diriyah layout reflected these characteristics while adding the cultural dimension that distinguished it from other Formula E city races.

Commercial and Broadcast Framework

Formula E’s commercial structure in Saudi Arabia operates through a hosting agreement that brings the series to the Kingdom as part of a broader strategy of attracting marquee international events. The broadcast distribution of Formula E provides global exposure across markets in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, while the series’ sustainability positioning aligns with the Kingdom’s efforts to diversify its international brand beyond hydrocarbon production.

Hospitality and activation programming during Formula E events provides corporate networking opportunities that complement the Formula 1 paddock experience in Jeddah, giving Saudi Arabia two distinct motorsport hospitality platforms serving different audience segments. The future hosting of Formula E at the Qiddiya Speed Park facility, designed to accommodate electric racing alongside Formula 1, would consolidate multiple series at a single permanent venue.

Manufacturer Participation and Competition

Formula E’s manufacturer roster is among the most prestigious in international motorsport. Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, Maserati, McLaren, and other manufacturers have committed factory entries to the series, bringing significant engineering resources and competitive budgets. The Saudi rounds attract the full manufacturer field, providing the Kingdom’s racing audience with exposure to some of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands competing in electric racing.

For the Saudi automotive market, which is experiencing rapid growth in electric vehicle adoption driven by government policy and PIF investment in companies like Lucid Motors and the domestic Ceer brand, the presence of these manufacturers at Formula E creates brand awareness and consumer engagement opportunities that serve both the manufacturers’ commercial objectives and the Kingdom’s electric mobility goals.

Audience and Engagement

The Diriyah E-Prix attracted a distinct audience profile from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Formula E’s fan base tends to be younger, more technology-oriented, and more engaged with sustainability themes than traditional motorsport audiences. The series’ compact race format — with qualifying and races typically completed within a single day — provides a concentrated entertainment experience. The fan village and activation areas provided interactive experiences including electric vehicle displays, sustainability exhibitions, and entertainment programming.

The cultural context of racing adjacent to a UNESCO World Heritage site added a dimension that resonated with audiences interested in the intersection of technology and heritage. The visual contrast between electric racing cars and the illuminated mud-brick architecture of At-Turaif created distinctive broadcast imagery that differentiated the Diriyah E-Prix from other Formula E rounds and supported Saudi Arabia’s cultural tourism narrative.

NEOM McLaren XE Team Connection

The intersection of Formula E and Extreme E in Saudi Arabia was represented by the NEOM McLaren XE Team, which competed in Extreme E with the backing of NEOM — the $500 billion megaproject in northwestern Saudi Arabia. While Formula E and Extreme E served different competitive formats (circuit vs. off-road), both series advanced electric racing technology and promoted sustainability messaging. McLaren’s participation in both series alongside its broader Formula E team commitment demonstrated the manufacturer depth that Saudi Arabia’s electric motorsport hosting attracted.

The Future of Electric Racing in Saudi Arabia

The conclusion of Extreme E after Season 5 in 2025 narrows the Kingdom’s electric racing portfolio to Formula E alone, though the announced Extreme H successor series (hydrogen fuel cell racing) could return desert electric racing to Saudi Arabia in the future. The transition to the Qiddiya Speed Park in 2028 will provide a permanent, purpose-built facility for Formula E alongside Formula 1 and MotoGP, consolidating Saudi Arabia’s multi-series hosting at a single venue designed to the highest FIA and FIM standards.

The broader trajectory of electric motorsport in Saudi Arabia connects to the Kingdom’s automotive manufacturing ambitions — PIF’s investments in Lucid Motors and Ceer, the target of 500,000 electric vehicles produced annually by 2030, and the EV charging infrastructure expansion. Formula E serves as both a spectacle and a technology demonstration platform that supports these industrial and environmental objectives, making the series’ continued presence in Saudi Arabia strategically significant beyond its sporting and entertainment value.

Complete Diriyah Race Statistics

The Diriyah venue hosted a total of 11 races across six Formula E seasons (Seasons 5-10), producing 8 unique race winners. The most successful drivers at Diriyah — Nyck de Vries, Sam Bird, and Pascal Wehrlein — each won two races. The most successful teams — Mercedes-EQ, Porsche, and BMW i Andretti Motorsport — each secured two victories. The circuit’s night racing format, introduced in Season 7, became a defining feature that distinguished the Saudi rounds from most other Formula E city races.

Wehrlein’s Season 9 double victory for Porsche stands as the most dominant single weekend performance at Diriyah. Starting ninth and winning Race 1, then winning Race 2 as well, Wehrlein became the fifth driver in Formula E history to win two races on the same venue in the same weekend. The consistency of Porsche’s performance across both races demonstrated the depth of manufacturer competition that Formula E brings to Saudi Arabia.

The transition from the intimate Diriyah circuit to the larger Jeddah Corniche Circuit infrastructure marks an evolution in Saudi Arabia’s Formula E hosting ambitions — from a culturally distinctive boutique event to a venue sharing world-class infrastructure with Formula 1. Both approaches serve the Kingdom’s strategic objectives, and the eventual consolidation at Qiddiya Speed Park will represent a third evolution: purpose-built permanent infrastructure designed for electric racing from inception.

Key Data — Formula E in Saudi Arabia

The Strategic Value of Formula E to Saudi Arabia

Formula E’s strategic value to Saudi Arabia extends beyond the entertainment and broadcast dimensions of race hosting. The series provides a technology demonstration platform that connects directly to PIF’s automotive manufacturing investments — the Lucid Motors stake and the Ceer domestic EV brand targeting 500,000 vehicles annually by 2030. The presence of Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, Maserati, and McLaren competing in electric racing format at Saudi venues creates brand awareness that supports EV adoption in the Kingdom’s rapidly growing automotive market.

The Saudi Green Initiative — targeting 50 percent renewable energy generation by 2030 and the planting of 450 million trees — benefits from the sustainability narrative that Formula E hosting reinforces. Electric racing at a venue adjacent to a UNESCO World Heritage site (Diriyah) or on the infrastructure of the world’s fastest street circuit (Jeddah) demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to reconciling technological advancement with heritage preservation and environmental sustainability.

The commercial architecture of Formula E hosting also serves a distinct function from Formula 1. While F1 provides mass broadcast reach (1.56 billion global fanbase), Formula E delivers targeted exposure to younger, technology-oriented audiences more likely to be early EV adopters. The combined hosting of both series — soon to be consolidated at Qiddiya Speed Park — gives Saudi Arabia diversified audience access across motorsport’s two most prestigious open-wheel categories, providing commercial and strategic returns that exceed what either series would deliver in isolation.