A Championship Finds Its Stage in the Desert
Formula E arrived in Saudi Arabia at a moment when both the championship and the Kingdom were undergoing transformative change. The ABB FIA Formula E Championship, launched in Beijing in September 2014 as an experimental series racing through city centers with modest electric machinery, had spent four seasons establishing credibility as a legitimate motorsport property. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, was in the early implementation phase of Vision 2030, the comprehensive economic and social reform program designed to diversify the national economy away from petroleum dependence. The convergence of these two trajectories produced one of the most consequential partnerships in modern motorsport: Saudi Arabia became Formula E’s Middle Eastern anchor, hosting more races across more consecutive seasons than any other country in the region.
The decision to bring Formula E to Saudi Arabia rather than starting with Formula 1 — which would arrive three years later in 2021 — was strategically significant. Formula E’s emphasis on electric powertrains, sustainability messaging, and technological innovation aligned with specific elements of the Vision 2030 program that emphasized energy transition, technological adoption, and environmental consciousness. While skeptics noted the apparent contradiction of a petroleum-producing nation promoting electric racing, the Saudi government and its motorsport entities viewed the alignment differently: hosting Formula E demonstrated the Kingdom’s commitment to participating in the global energy transition rather than resisting it, while simultaneously developing the infrastructure, expertise, and international relationships necessary to host the larger Formula 1 championship later.
Prince Khaled bin Sultan Al-Faisal Al-Saud, president of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, was the driving force behind the Kingdom’s motorsport engagement strategy. Under his leadership, SAMF established relationships with Formula E Operations, the FIA, and the broader international motorsport community that would lay the groundwork not only for Formula E but for the entire portfolio of racing events that Saudi Arabia would eventually host, including Formula 1, the Dakar Rally, Extreme E, and the World Rally Championship.
Season 5 (2018-2019): The Genesis
The selection of Diriyah as the venue for Saudi Arabia’s first Formula E race was loaded with symbolism. Diriyah, located northwest of Riyadh, is the ancestral home of the House of Saud and the site of the first Saudi state. The At-Turaif district, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2010, provided a backdrop that connected the nation’s historical identity to its technological future. A temporary street circuit was constructed through the streets adjacent to the heritage site, measuring 2.495 kilometers with 21 turns.
The race was scheduled as the opening round of Season 5, meaning it carried the additional significance of launching the Gen2 era. The Gen2 car was Formula E’s first purpose-designed racing machine, replacing the Spark-Renault SRT 01E that had served through Seasons 1 to 4. The new car eliminated the mid-race car swap that had been necessary in earlier seasons due to insufficient battery capacity, delivering enough energy storage for a full race distance. It also looked dramatically more aggressive, with aerodynamic bodywork that finally gave Formula E an aesthetic identity commensurate with its technological ambitions.
Antonio Felix da Costa won the inaugural race on December 15, 2018, driving for BMW i Andretti Motorsport. The Portuguese driver’s victory set the tone for what would become a fiercely competitive multi-season relationship between Formula E and Saudi Arabia, as detailed in history of the Diriyah E-Prix. Jean-Eric Vergne, the reigning Season 4 champion, finished second, while Jerome d’Ambrosio took the final podium position.
The event’s operational execution demonstrated that Saudi Arabia could stage a complex international motorsport event to FIA standards, despite having no prior experience hosting open-wheel circuit racing. The circuit construction, timing and safety systems, broadcast integration, hospitality infrastructure, and spectator management all met the championship’s requirements. This successful debut was crucial for establishing credibility with Formula E’s commercial partners, broadcast networks, and the FIA itself, all of whom needed assurance that the Saudi venue could deliver consistent quality over multiple seasons.
Season 6 (2019-2020): Double-Header Innovation
The second Diriyah E-Prix, held on November 22-23, 2019, introduced the double-header format that would define the venue’s competitive character for the remainder of its tenure. Two separate races on consecutive days doubled the sporting content and commercial value of each event weekend while presenting teams with the unique challenge of managing car preparation, strategy development, and driver energy across 48 intense hours.
Sam Bird dominated Race 1 for Envision Virgin Racing, outpacing Andre Lotterer and Stoffel Vandoorne. Bird’s aggressive but controlled driving style proved ideally suited to the Diriyah circuit’s demands — he could push to the limit through the narrow barriers while maintaining the energy management discipline necessary to reach the finish with competitive pace.
Race 2 delivered a different narrative. Alexander Sims won for BMW i Andretti Motorsport, initially appearing to lead a BMW one-two finish with teammate Maximilian Gunther. However, a post-race penalty applied to Gunther reshuffled the podium and denied the manufacturer its perfect result. The penalty incident highlighted one of Formula E’s distinctive characteristics: its regulatory framework could alter results significantly after the race, creating uncertainty that extended the competitive drama well beyond the chequered flag.
The Season 6 Diriyah races coincided with a period of rapid team development in the Formula E paddock. Manufacturer involvement was deepening, with Mercedes-Benz (via Mercedes-EQ) and Porsche both entering the championship for Season 6, as detailed in the Ad Diriyah street circuit. The presence of these automotive giants in Formula E validated Saudi Arabia’s decision to host the series — if companies like Mercedes and Porsche considered Formula E worthy of their factory-backed involvement, the championship’s credibility as a technology platform was beyond question.
The double-header format also created interesting strategic dynamics specific to the Diriyah venue. Track evolution played a significant role, with rubber deposits from Saturday’s race fundamentally changing grip levels for Sunday’s event. Teams that adapted their setups and energy strategies most effectively between the two races gained a competitive advantage, rewarding engineering agility and data analysis capability alongside pure driving talent.
The COVID Interregnum and Season 7 (2020-2021)
The global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every major sporting calendar in 2020, and Formula E was no exception. The planned Diriyah E-Prix for Season 6’s later rounds was affected by schedule reshuffling, and the championship operated under modified protocols for an extended period. When the Diriyah E-Prix returned for Season 7 on February 26-27, 2021, it did so with a historic innovation: the first Formula E night race.
The installation of comprehensive floodlighting around the 2.495-kilometer circuit was a significant infrastructure investment that transformed the event’s visual identity. Night racing had been a hallmark of certain Formula 1 events — particularly the Singapore Grand Prix since 2008 — but Formula E had never previously raced under artificial lighting. The combination of illuminated Gen2 cars, the floodlit walls of Diriyah’s heritage district, and the desert sky above created images that redefined the Diriyah E-Prix’s broadcast appeal.
Nyck de Vries won Race 1 for Mercedes-EQ, inaugurating a period of Mercedes dominance at the Diriyah venue that would extend through Season 8. The Dutch driver’s smooth, energy-efficient driving style extracted maximum performance from the Mercedes powertrain, which had reached a level of development maturity that placed it among the best in the field. Edoardo Mortara finished second for ROKiT Venturi Racing, with Mitch Evans third for Jaguar Racing.
Sam Bird claimed his second Diriyah victory in Race 2, now wearing Jaguar Racing livery after switching teams during the off-season. Bird’s ability to win at the same venue for two different teams underscored his personal affinity for the Diriyah circuit’s characteristics, as detailed in the future of Formula E in Saudi Arabia. Robin Frijns took second, with Antonio Felix da Costa — the inaugural Diriyah winner — completing the podium in third.
The night racing format proved so successful that it became the permanent format for subsequent Diriyah E-Prix events. Beyond its aesthetic and broadcast advantages, night racing addressed practical temperature concerns. While February temperatures in Riyadh are moderate by Saudi standards, the absence of direct sunlight during racing created more comfortable conditions for spectators, teams, and the electronic systems within the cars themselves. Battery thermal management, a critical performance variable in Formula E, benefited from the lower ambient temperatures of evening racing.
Season 8 (2022): The Gen2’s Final Diriyah Bow
The January 28-29, 2022 Diriyah E-Prix represented the final running of the Gen2 car at the venue. Season 8 was the last full championship contested with the Gen2 machinery before the Gen3 car’s introduction the following year, and teams had pushed development to extraordinary levels after four seasons of continuous refinement.
Nyck de Vries won Race 1 again, making Diriyah his personal stronghold. His teammate Stoffel Vandoorne finished second, giving Mercedes-EQ a commanding one-two result. Jake Dennis, representing Andretti, took third place. De Vries’ second victory at Diriyah — his second Race 1 win in consecutive seasons — demonstrated the repeatable nature of his performance advantage at the venue rather than attributing it to circumstance or fortune.
Race 2 provided different winners but continued the theme of experienced campaigners extracting maximum performance from mature machinery. Edoardo Mortara won for ROKiT Venturi Racing, rewarding years of competitive consistency with his first Diriyah victory. Robin Frijns again featured on the podium in second, while Lucas di Grassi — one of Formula E’s founding drivers who had won the inaugural championship race in Beijing in 2014 — secured third place.
The competitive dynamics of the Season 8 Diriyah races illustrated the championship’s depth. Seven different constructors finished in the top ten across the two races, and the performance gap between the leading and trailing teams was measured in tenths of seconds rather than the seconds-per-lap margins common in other single-seater championships, as detailed in economic contributions of the E-Prix. The Diriyah circuit’s characteristics amplified this competitive parity: on a circuit where overtaking was difficult and track position was valuable, qualifying performance and strategic execution during races became critical differentiators.
Season 9 (2023): Gen3 Revolution at Diriyah
Season 9 brought the most significant technological revolution in Formula E’s history to the Diriyah circuit. The Gen3 car represented a quantum leap: lighter weight, higher power output, dual-axle regeneration capability, and significantly improved energy density in the battery pack. The car’s performance envelope was fundamentally different from its predecessor, requiring teams to develop entirely new strategies for energy management, tire usage, and race execution.
Pascal Wehrlein delivered a masterclass for Porsche across the Diriyah double-header. In Race 1, the German driver started ninth on the grid and methodically worked his way through the field to win — a result that demonstrated the Gen3 car’s capacity for overtaking even on the narrow Diriyah circuit. Jake Dennis finished second, while Sebastien Buemi, who had qualified on pole position, faded during the race in a pattern that illustrated how the Gen3’s energy management characteristics could subvert qualifying advantage.
Wehrlein’s dominance continued in Race 2, where he again won despite not starting from the front of the grid. He became the fifth driver in Formula E history to win two races at the same venue on the same weekend, joining an elite club that demonstrated sustained excellence rather than single-race fortune. Jake Dennis was again second, further establishing the Wehrlein-Dennis rivalry that would feature prominently throughout Season 9.
The Gen3’s arrival at Diriyah also brought a new audience engagement dimension. The car’s dramatically different sound profile — higher-pitched and more intense than the Gen2, with the front motor adding its own frequency to the powertrain note — created a different sensory experience for trackside spectators. Combined with the increased speed through corners and shorter braking zones, the Gen3 delivered a more visceral form of Formula E racing that addressed some of the criticisms that had followed the championship regarding the perceived lack of spectacle relative to internal combustion racing.
Season 10 (2024): The Farewell
The January 26-27, 2024 double-header was marketed and recognized as the final Diriyah E-Prix. After six consecutive seasons and twelve individual races, the venue that had launched Formula E in the Middle East was hosting its last championship event before the series relocated to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, as detailed in fan zones and entertainment at Formula E.
The final weekend produced racing that honored the venue’s competitive legacy. Nick Cassidy won Race 2 for Jaguar Racing, ensuring that the final competitive result at Diriyah carried the team’s name — appropriate given that Jaguar, through both Sam Bird’s earlier victories and its sustained competitiveness across multiple seasons, had been one of the most successful teams at the venue.
The decision to move to Jeddah was announced well in advance, allowing the final Diriyah weekend to be treated as a celebration of the venue’s contribution to Formula E’s growth. The championship had transformed from a novelty series with limited manufacturer interest when it first visited Diriyah in 2018 into a fully recognized FIA World Championship with deep manufacturer commitments and a global broadcast footprint. Diriyah had been the stage for much of this transformation, hosting milestone moments including the first Middle Eastern Formula E race, the first night race, and the Gen3 debut.
The Jeddah Transition: Season 11 (2025)
The Jeddah ePrix, staged on February 14-15, 2025, represented both continuation and evolution of Formula E’s Saudi Arabian presence. The move to the 3.001-kilometer Jeddah Corniche Circuit brought Formula E to a venue that offered superior permanent infrastructure — including a $500 million pit building, grandstand capacity for 70,000 spectators, 2,000-plus LED lights for night racing, and the logistical experience gained from hosting Formula 1 since 2021.
The transition coincided with the introduction of the Gen3 Evo specification, which delivered the most sensational performance headline in Formula E history. The Gen3 Evo accelerated from 0 to 60 miles per hour 30 percent faster than a current Formula 1 car and 36 percent faster than the standard Gen3, making it the fastest-accelerating single-seater race car in the world. This performance capability, combined with the Jeddah circuit’s high-speed character — where Formula 1 cars reach over 320 kilometers per hour and spend 80 percent of the lap at full throttle — created the potential for Formula E’s most spectacular racing yet.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit’s 19 turns offered a markedly different challenge compared to Diriyah’s 21. The Jeddah layout included higher-speed passages and longer straights that suited the Gen3 Evo’s acceleration advantage, while the circuit’s wider sections provided overtaking opportunities that were less available on the narrower Diriyah streets, as detailed in the Gen3 Formula E car. The transition from heritage-district ambiance to Red Sea waterfront spectacle changed the event’s visual character but maintained the core appeal of electric racing in a dramatic Saudi Arabian setting.
Season 11 featured 22 drivers across 11 teams, with six manufacturers — Porsche, Jaguar, DS, Nissan, Maserati, and Mahindra — providing powertrains. The manufacturer roster reflected both the stability of established participants and the ongoing evolution of the competitive landscape, with each manufacturer bringing distinct technological approaches to the shared challenge of maximizing Gen3 Evo performance.
The Strategic Architecture Behind Saudi Formula E
Understanding Formula E’s seven-year history in Saudi Arabia requires examining the institutional architecture that made sustained hosting possible. The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, established in 2006 under the Ministry of Sports, provided the regulatory framework for all motorsport activity in the Kingdom. SAMF’s affiliation with the FIA — the global governing body for four-wheeled motorsport — ensured that Saudi-hosted events met international safety, technical, and sporting standards.
The Saudi Motorsport Company, established in 2021 as a subsidiary of SAMF, became the operational and commercial entity responsible for delivering all major motorsport events in the Kingdom. SMC’s formation consolidated what had previously been distributed responsibilities under a single state-owned entity, creating clear accountability for event execution, commercial partnership management, and strategic planning. SMC won the Motorsport Promoter of the Year award at the 2022 Autosport Awards, an industry recognition that validated the organization’s capabilities.
The financial framework supporting Formula E hosting in Saudi Arabia was never fully disclosed publicly. However, the sustained investment across seven seasons — including the progression from a basic temporary circuit to a double-header night-race format, the subsequent move to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit with its hundreds of millions of dollars in permanent infrastructure, and the continuous enhancement of fan experience and hospitality offerings — indicated substantial ongoing commitment. Formula E hosting fees are generally lower than Formula 1’s reported $55-60 million annual fee for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but the total cost of circuit construction, event operations, marketing, and associated infrastructure represented a significant multi-year investment.
The commercial returns on this investment were measured across multiple dimensions beyond direct event revenue. Media exposure during Formula E broadcasts reached a global audience through the championship’s broadcast partnerships. International coverage of the Diriyah E-Prix consistently highlighted the venue’s UNESCO World Heritage setting, generating tourism marketing value that was difficult to quantify but undeniably valuable, as detailed in FIA Formula E. The association between Saudi Arabia and cutting-edge electric racing technology supported the Kingdom’s broader positioning as a participant in the global energy transition, complementing investments in domestic EV manufacturing, renewable energy infrastructure, and green hydrogen development.
Saudi Arabia’s Unique Position in Electric Motorsport
Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Formula E illuminated a broader truth about the Kingdom’s approach to motorsport: rather than selecting a single championship as its exclusive focus, Saudi Arabia assembled a portfolio of racing properties that collectively addressed different audiences, technologies, and strategic objectives. Formula E served the sustainability and electric technology messaging. Formula 1 delivered mass-market global audience and prestige. The Dakar Rally showcased the Kingdom’s diverse geography and off-road heritage. Extreme E combined electric powertrains with off-road adventure racing and gender parity requirements.
No other country in the world hosted all four of these championships simultaneously during their respective active periods. This unique breadth of motorsport hosting positioned Saudi Arabia not merely as a venue for international racing but as a comprehensive motorsport ecosystem with the infrastructure, institutional capability, and financial commitment to sustain multiple world-championship-level events concurrently.
Formula E’s specific contribution to this ecosystem was the association with technological progressivism. In a global media environment where petroleum-producing nations faced increasing scrutiny regarding their role in climate change, Saudi Arabia’s visible investment in electric racing provided a counternarrative: the Kingdom was not merely extracting and exporting fossil fuels but was actively engaging with the technologies and industries that would define post-petroleum mobility. Whether this narrative fully satisfied critics was secondary to its existence — the Diriyah E-Prix, and subsequently the Jeddah ePrix, ensured that any discussion of Saudi motorsport included an electric chapter.
The future trajectory of Formula E in Saudi Arabia points toward continued evolution. The Qiddiya Speed Park Track, scheduled for completion in 2028, will provide a permanent FIA Grade 1 facility that could potentially host Formula E alongside Formula 1 and other series. The facility’s design, incorporating 21 corners and significant elevation changes, suggests a circuit character that would suit Formula E’s energy management and regenerative braking requirements while offering spectacle that matches the Gen3 Evo’s extraordinary performance capabilities.
Seven Seasons That Transformed the Championship
Formula E’s seven-season journey in Saudi Arabia — from the inaugural Diriyah race in December 2018 through the first Jeddah ePrix in February 2025 — coincided with the championship’s transformation from a promising but unproven concept into a fully recognized FIA World Championship with deep manufacturer involvement, substantial commercial value, and genuine technological relevance to the global automotive industry.
Saudi Arabia was not merely a host for this transformation but an active participant in it. The Kingdom’s financial commitment, institutional investment through SAMF and SMC, infrastructure development across Diriyah, Jeddah, and the forthcoming Qiddiya complex, and strategic alignment between Formula E’s sustainability messaging and Vision 2030’s economic diversification goals created a partnership that served both parties’ interests across multiple dimensions.
The 12 races at Diriyah and the subsequent move to Jeddah produced memorable sporting moments, established driver specialists like de Vries, Bird, and Wehrlein, and demonstrated that electric racing could generate cultural and commercial value in one of the world’s most significant petroleum-producing nations. As Formula E continues to develop — with faster cars, more capable technology, and growing global interest — Saudi Arabia’s role as a cornerstone of the championship’s Middle Eastern presence appears secured for years to come.