12-02-2025
Formula E in Jeddah: Everything you need to know about 2025 E-Prix
Jeddah will host an official round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the first time this weekend – bringing the high-speed, all-electric racing series to Saudi Arabia's west coast.
The Jeddah E-Prix, set to take place under the lights as the 2024-25 season's first night race, will see the world's best drivers battle it out on a brand-new circuit on the Formula E calendar.
It is the third race meeting of the season, with São Paulo the first back in December and Mexico City the second in January. Jeddah will host two E-Prix – one on Friday 14 and another on Saturday 15 – having been selected as a double race weekend along with Monaco, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, and London in 2025.
Here, Al Arabiya English breaks down everything you need to know about the 2025 Formula E in Jeddah.
What is Formula E?
The world's leading all-electric motorsport series, Formula E features cutting-edge, battery-powered race cars that compete on tight, technical street circuits. Launched in 2014, the series quickly gained global recognition for its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and thrilling wheel-to-wheel action.
Unlike Formula 1, where teams build their own chassis and engines, Formula E operates as a spec series – meaning all cars use the same chassis and battery, with manufacturers developing their own powertrains.
The championship visits major cities worldwide, turning urban streets into high-speed racetracks and highlighting the future of electric mobility – with many of the innovations pioneered by Formula E teams finding their way into commercial electric vehicles.
Why is an E-Prix happening in Jeddah?
Saudi Arabia has been a key partner for Formula E since 2018, when it became the first country in the Middle East to host the championship with the Diriyah E-Prix. This was one of the first major international sporting events to be held in the Kingdom – paving the way for other world-class motorsport events, including Formula One and the Dakar Rally, to come to Saudi shores. With innovation and sustainability among the central tenets of Saudi Vision 2030, there is obvious sporting synergy between the Kingdom and Formula E.
There is a major change this year, however. After six editions of the Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's Formula E race will make its debut in Jeddah in 2025. Drivers will tackle an adapted Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which has previously hosted the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on four occasions. Jeddah is a tight, technical track that should provide a stern test for drivers, and plenty of entertainment for fans at the circuit and at home.
What happened in last year's race
The 2024 Diriyah E-Prix delivered two thrilling rounds of racing. Englishman Jake Dennis delivered a dominant performance, securing a commanding victory by over 13 seconds. It was one of the largest winning margins in Formula E history and the Andretti driver set multiple fastest laps on his way to the win. Meanwhile, Nick Cassidy continued his impressive start to life with Jaguar TCS Racing, securing his first victory for the team and extending his podium streak to three consecutive races.
Who are the best drivers?
Formula E has attracted top talent from across motorsport, with a mix of former F1 drivers, endurance racers, rising stars and – now that it has become so well established – electric racing stalwarts too. A thrilling final day of the 2023-24 season saw Pascal Wehrlein and Mitch Evans finish as Formula E champions and runner-up – with the former pipping the latter in the final E-Prix of the season in London.
Evans had been leading the championship heading into the final two races in London but while the New Zealander finished second and third in the UK capital, German Wehrlein snatched a race win and a second place to become Formula E Drivers' Champion for the first time. It was a heartbreaking end to the season for Evans, who has narrowly missed out on the title in each of the past four seasons.
The 30-year-old is back in contention again in 2024-25, however, after winning the São Paulo E-Prix in dramatic fashion; starting in last place on the grid, Evans overtook every driver in the field to finish top of the podium. Beyond Evans and Wehrlein, who was on pole in each of the first two races but retired in Brazil and finished third in Mexico, there are a host of other contenders. Currently top of the Drivers' Championship standings is Werhlein's team-mate Antonio Felix Da Costa. The Portuguese driver is a former FIA World Endurance champion and is aiming to win his second Formula E title having secured the Drivers' crown in 2020.
Evans' Jaguar team-mate, fellow Kiwi Nick Cassidy, has yet to score any points this season but was third in last season's championship and second in 2022-23. Cassidy won the second E-Prix of the weekend in Saudi Arabia in 2024. Brits Oliver Rowland, Jake Dennis and Sam Bird can also usually be found among the leading pack in Formula E. Rowland won last time out in Mexico City – his fourth career victory in Formula E, while Dennis was top of the podium in Saudi Arabia last year and Bird has twice won in the Kingdom – in 2019 and 2021.
Who are the best teams?
Formula E features some of the world's top manufacturers and teams, all pushing the boundaries of electric racing technology. Last year's Teams' Championship winner was Jaguar TCS Racing, the motorsport arm of the heritage British car brand. It was the first time Jaguar won the trophy, though it provided the Teams' championship-winning powertrain for Envision Racing in 2022-23.
Currently above Jaguar TCS Racing in the 2024-25 team standings are NEOM McLaren, a team sponsored by the Saudi Arabian region, and TAG Heuer Porsche. Although it came second in last season's Teams' Championship, Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein claimed the Drivers' title. The only other team on the grid with championship pedigree is Andretti Racing, for whom Jake Dennis won the Drivers' crown in 2022-23.
What else should you know?
Ahead of the Jeddah E-Prix, each Formula E team will field its most promising young drivers in the first of two 'Rookie Free Practice' sessions slated for the 2024-25 season. The other one will take place in Berlin. Two of the headline rookies set for Jeddah are ex-Formula One driver Danil Kyvat, who will represent the DS Penske team, and Jamie Chadwick.
A three-time winner of the all-female W Series, Chadwick also made history by becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar NXT track race last year. The Brit will represent Jaguar TCS Racing and is one of two female drivers participating at Rookie Free Practice, along with Colombian Tatiana Calderon.
