- The event will take place on Nov. 22 and 23
- Two major races will take place in this year鈥檚 E-Prix, which made its Middle East debut in the Kingdom last year
RIYADH: This year鈥檚 Formula E season will kick off with a doubleheader in Ad Diriyah in November, backed by a huge festival of off-track action, music, culture and heritage.
The 2019 鈥淪audia鈥� Ad Diriyah E-Prix promises to eclipse the inaugural 2018 edition, with two races, instead of one, being staged at the stunning UNESCO world heritage site of Ad Diriyah, and with crowds of up to 100,000 expected to attend.
Last year鈥檚 sell-out E-Prix featured music icons such as David Guetta, Enrique Iglesias, One Republic and the Black-Eyed Peas, performing as part of the racing championship鈥檚 debut in the Middle East.
2019 will see Porsche and Mercedes competing for the first time, boosting the number of cars on the track. Plus, Ad Diriyah will be ready to welcome even more international tourists, after the surrounding At-Turaif district finalizes its ambitious development program.
Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the General Sports Authority (GSA), said: 鈥淔ormula E鈥檚 arrival in the Kingdom was a watershed moment for us, one that thousands witnessed together.
鈥淭he 2018 鈥楽audia鈥� Ad Diriyah E-Prix excited our nation through its exhilarating action, heroes and entertainment. Thanks to the ambitions of Vision 2030, it was the biggest festival of sport, music and culture the Kingdom has ever seen.
鈥淭his year we look forward to igniting an even bigger season of motor racing for Formula E, to welcome even more international visitors, and to create another unforgettable moment for our people.鈥�
In a recent interview with the UAE鈥檚 The National newspaper, DJ David Guetta hailed the 2018 event, which included the country鈥檚 first unsegregated concerts.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud that I鈥檝e done this. There is obviously a very big effort in Saudi to open to music and to artists. And as an artist, I play for the people and the people were obviously so happy,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t was incredible to see men and women dancing and letting go of everything. It was a great honor for me to be part of this.鈥�
Last year saw travelers from 80 different countries flock to the event, taking advantage of the first-ever 30-day tourism visas issued under the new online Sharek immigration system. For 2019 the process has been enhanced to make visiting the Kingdom even easier.
Second staging
The 2019 E-Prix will be the second of a 10-year partnership between Formula E, the GSA and the 抖阴短视频n Motor Federation (SAMF). The event will be staged again by promoter CBX, which successfully created the racetrack and venue in the heart of the heritage site.
Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Faisal, president of SAMF, said: 鈥淚n 2018 the track proved itself a world-class venue for motorsport, hailed by racers as one of the most exiting they have faced.
鈥淭his year sees even more teams enter the championship, with Porsche and Mercedes entering the fray. Last year Ad Diriyah was the launchpad for the new 鈥楪en 2鈥� race cars and the exciting 鈥楢ttack Zone鈥� innovation. This year will be the first time drivers will have an additional 10 kilowatts (kW) of power available when using the 鈥楢ttack Mode,鈥� rising from 225kW to 235kW.
鈥淎dd to that, a double header 鈥� two races instead of one 鈥� with a total of 24 cars competing. This will fire up 抖阴短视频鈥檚 passion for motorsports, and we are ready to welcome Formula E back.鈥�