Jake Dennis wins thrilling first race of Diriyah E-Prix weekend

Reigning Formula E world champion Jake Dennis won a thrilling race in the opening Diriyah E-Prix on Friday. (Supplied)
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Updated 26 January 2024
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Jake Dennis wins thrilling first race of Diriyah E-Prix weekend

  • Two-time Formula E world champion edged out DS Penske's Jean-Eric Vergne

DIRIYAH: Reigning Formula E world champion Jake Dennis won a thrilling race in the opening Diriyah E-Prix on Friday, claiming his first victory of the season by more than 13 seconds from second-placed Jean-Eric Vergne.

The Andretti driver cruised around the Diriyah track after taking both his Attack Mode activations early in the race, and taking the lead from polesitter Vergne in the process. 

DS Penske's Vergne managed to cling on to second, but was suffering from a severe lack of energy by the end of the race. 

Jaguar's New Zealander Mitch Evans attempted to pass the Frenchman on the last lap but failed and ended up finishing outside the podium places.

Evans' countryman Nick Cassidy ended up taking the third and final spot on the podium.

“Awesome race, I didn't expect to be coming away with a 13-second lead today,” Dennis told Arab News. “Very happy to be coming away with fastest lap and a race win,” he added.

“Saudi Arabia is growing more and more, the fans are more engaged and more understanding of motorsport and the podium atmosphere was as good as ever.”

Vergne, who told Arab News he was happy with second place as it was “the best we could have done,” echoed the British driver's sentiments about the Kingdom.

“It's amazing to be here in Riyadh and to have the support of the Saudis,” he said. “I think it's great when you look at the country and how it's pushing, it's definitely a place where Formula E should be,” he added.

The second race of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend, and the third round of the FIA Formula E World Championship, will take place on Saturday.


Footballco announce first Saudi Women’s Football Awards

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Footballco announce first Saudi Women’s Football Awards

  • Roshn Group confirmed as exclusive presenting partner, with the awards to be announced after the 2025-26 season ends in May

RIYADH: Football media and culture company Footballco have announced the launch of the first Saudi Women’s football awards, with the winners to be revealed in May.

The Indivisa Saudi Women’s Football Awards will recognize the best of women’s football in Saudi Arabia, both on and off the pitch.

From April, fans will be able to vote for shortlisted players and personalities, with the final stage involving a panel of industry experts. The awards ceremony will take place in May, following the culmination of the 2025–26 Saudi Women's Premier League season.

The awards go beyond the event, with supporting content across Footballco’s portfolio of Arabic-language football brands, including Goal, Kooora and Indivisa. These reach over 170 million Arabic speaking fans monthly, of which more than 20 million are in the Kingdom.

The first Indivisa Saudi Women’s Football Awards will be proudly presented in partnership with ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia’s leading multi-asset class real estate developer and a Public Investment Fund company.

The award categories include:

On-Pitch

Player of the Year

Young Player of the Year

International Player of the Year

National Team Player of the Year

Team of the Year

Goal of the Year

Off-Pitch

Most Influential Woman of the Year

Style Icon of the Year

Local Hero of the Year

Female Football Executive of the Year.

Footballco has supported women’s football in the Kingdom since 2023, when it launched an Arabic version of its women’s football culture brand, Indivisa, the first media brand dedicated to women’s football in the Middle East.

This was followed by Yalla Girl in 2024, the first and only Arabic digital show designed for the women’s game. Since its launch in May 2024, Yalla Girl has amassed more than 100m views. More recently, Footballco launched the Indivisa website in Arabic in 2025, making it the first and only Arabic website dedicated to women’s football.

Outside its own platforms, Footballco produced Destined to Play, a feature-length documentary for FIFA and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, which follows the journeys of aspiring female Saudi players. It is currently streaming on FIFA+.

Andy Jackson, Footballco’s Middle East senior vice president, said: “We’re excited to be celebrating the growth of women’s football in the Kingdom and those who have helped it to grow at a rate we’ve not seen anywhere else and we would like to express our gratitude to Roshn Group for their support in establishing this important event and milestone in the trajectory of women’s football in the Kingdom.

“Women’s football is no longer niche. In 2025, we saw 250 million video views of our Arabic women’s football content, and when we surveyed the fanbase, the message was clear: They wanted the women’s game to be celebrated and recognized in its own right, not as a footnote to the men’s game. This drove our vision to create this new annual event, and I’m delighted it’s a vision that was shared by Roshn.”  

The Saudi Women’s Football Awards follow a period of great growth for women’s football in the Kingdom, which began with the launch of the Saudi Women’s Premier League in 2022. At a grassroots level, 77,000 girls now compete in the annual Girls’ Schools League and there are more than 1,000 qualified female coaches, according to data from the Saudi Arabia Football Federation.