DIRIYAH: A week ahead of the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s highly anticipated return to Saudi Arabia, excitement among the Kingdom’s motorsport enthusiasts is at record levels.
As the world’s top drivers prepare to battle it out in back-to-back night races at the Riyadh Street Circuit on Jan. 26-27, audiences are gearing up for electrified entertainment.
Rounds two and three of the 2023/24 season promise to present thrilling moments, mass excitement, and exceptional high-speed racing as teams and drivers go head-to-head in a showcase of speed, strategy, and sustainable racing excellence.
Returning with a record-extending sixth edition, the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix promises non-stop action and an unforgettable race experience with a host of major stars targeting success.
After winning the season’s opener in Mexico City last weekend, Pascal Wehrlein arrives in Saudi Arabia with some momentum.
The TAG Heuer Porsche driver, the winner of both Diriyah E-Prix races last term, is optimistic he and his team can have a “strong weekend,” but is taking nothing for granted.
He said: “Winning here last year was pretty special and we obviously had a fantastic start to the season in Mexico but nothing is guaranteed.
“Just because we won Riyadh last year or we won the last race in Mexico doesn’t mean Riyadh will be easy for us. There’s still a lot we need to do to make sure we are on top, and hopefully we have a strong weekend again. But for me, it’s so tight that small differences can make a big difference in the result. It will be pretty hard again, I’m sure.”
Wehrlein faces stiff competition. Reigning world champion Jake Dennis and former champions Antonio Felix da Costa, Sebastien Buemi, Lucas di Grassi, Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Jean-Eric Vergne are among the 22 drivers lining up on the grid.
Many others also have Formula E race victories on their records — including Sam Bird, Edoardo Mortara, Maximilian Gunther, and Robin Frijns — and will be looking to add to their tally next week.
The Diriyah E-Prix is the latest illustration of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to hosting the very best international events across all sports. While enabling the Kingdom to build relationships and showcase the nation’s passionate sporting culture to the world, hosting events such as the e-prix provide new opportunities for Saudis to be inspired, pursue dreams, and realize potential.
The Diriyah E-Prix is part of a year-round schedule of international sports in the Kingdom, with motorsport, football, boxing, tennis, esports, combat sports, golf, and equestrian events all locked in so far for 2024.
Fans can secure their seats at https://webook.com/en/events/2024-diriyah-e-prix. Grandstand and general admission tickets are available from SR100 ($26).
Countdown to Diriyah E-Prix officially underway with electrified entertainment fast approaching
https://arab.news/9tmjy
Countdown to Diriyah E-Prix officially underway with electrified entertainment fast approaching
- Rounds 2, 3 of the season promise thrilling moments
- Host of major stars targeting success at event
Formula One enters new era with excitement and uncertainty
LONDON: New cars, new power and new teams for a new era — Formula One starts afresh in Australia this week with a heady mix of excitement, uncertainty and apprehension. Never shy of underselling itself, the high-octane sport appears on the money in billing the 2026 season as the biggest shakeup it has ever seen.
For the first time in decades the chassis and power unit regulations have changed at the same time, a massive challenge even for the biggest teams, with near parity between the electrical and combustion engine elements. There is also 100 percent advanced sustainable fuel, Madrid’s debut on the 24-race calendar, a new champion in McLaren’s Lando Norris and one of the youngest drivers ever to start a grand prix in Racing Bulls’ British 18-year-old rookie Arvid Lindblad.
The last time there was such a significant engine reset, in 2014, Mercedes went on a record run of dominance but this time the campaign could be much more open.
How will the fans respond?
The list of questions is long.
Will the fans like what is on offer? How has the pecking order changed? Can Ferrari finally end their wait of nearly two decades for a drivers’ title? And if they are contenders, could Lewis Hamilton win a record eighth championship? Will Mercedes’ George Russell live up to his pre-season billing as title favorite? Maybe Charles Leclerc’s time has come at Ferrari, or will Red Bull’s Max Verstappen bounce back with a fifth championship after his run of four in a row ended? Can Norris become only the second Briton to successfully defend a title after Hamilton, or will Australian teammate Oscar Piastri gain the upper hand? How will French youngster Isack Hadjar fare as Verstappen’s new teammate in the hottest of hot seats?
The jury is out on all of the above, with pre-season testing in Bahrain — whose race in April now faces uncertainty following US and Israeli attacks on Iran — hinting at a familiar top four amid tantalising suspicions of “sandbagging” — hiding true performance. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has suggested Red Bull, racing with their own powertrain for the first time, had set a benchmark.
Red Bull have dismissed that idea and said they were possibly only fourth. Champions McLaren, meanwhile, pointed the finger at Mercedes and Ferrari as a step ahead of the rest and said they would be on the defensive, initially at least. Further back, Renault-owned Alpine will be starting over and hoping for a big leap from last overall after replacing their French-made engines with Mercedes units. Swiss-based Sauber are now racing as the Audi factory outfit while the grid has expanded to 11 teams following the arrival of Cadillac, already pushing the promotional bar higher with a livery launch via an expensive commercial aired during the Super Bowl. They will also be bringing back two highly experienced winning names from the recent past in Mexican Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s former teammate, and Finland’s Valtteri Bottas, who once raced alongside Hamilton at Mercedes. Cadillac might be expected to finish last but the Ferrari engine looks strong while Aston Martin, starting a new partnership with Honda and with Adrian Newey as designer and team principal, have struggled to get laps in testing due to reliability issues.
Melbourne will provide early pointers but a true pattern will take longer to emerge in what also promises to be a ferocious development race.
